Matt Harvey: Gotham’s Knightmare
It’s too late, isn’t it? It’s far too late, it seems, to ship Matt Harvey, the former ace of the Mets, off to another team and recoup a worthy collection of young players in return.
The man who took the mound Thursday night at Citi Field against the arch-rival Washington Nationals is not the same pitcher that took New York and the baseball world by storm with an incredible array of scorching fastballs and wicked sliders. He’s not the Dark Knight anymore- this man is just regular old Matt Harvey.
After Harvey allowed 6 earned runs to Washington in a mere 2 2/3 innings pitched, his ERA inflated to 5.77 with an abysmal 3-6 record and 1.66 WHIP. When manager Terry Collins came out to pull Harvey, the pitcher did not hesitate. He met Collins several steps in front of the mound, put his head down, and took a bee-line directly into the clubhouse.
That right there is rock bottom for Matt Harvey. He looked absolutely defeated.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) May 20, 2016
So, was Scott Boras right? Should the Mets have taken it easy on Harvey’s fragile arm in 2015, his first season back from Tommy John surgery? From April to October, Matt Harvey pitched 230 innings- his previous high was 178 1/3 innings pitched in his rookie season.
Harvey’s average fastball velocity is down from 95.2 mph in 2015 to 94 mph this year. His slider, once his most effective pitch, is down 2% in average velocity. Harvey appears to be suffering from fatigue due to last season’s deep postseason run, be it mental or physical.
The hurler’s weakened stuff has translated to an inability to locate his pitches. His walk rate has risen from 4.9% to 6.8% and his strikeout rate has dropped from 24.9% to 19.6%.
Harvey has not been able to avoid solid contact. His ground ball percentage has received a dramatic decrease- down to 36.9% from 40% in 2015. But perhaps the most telling statistic off Harvey’s season is his line drive percentage; he allowed line drives just 17.9% of the time a year ago. This season? An incredible 29.2%.
One scout offered his analysis to Marc Carig of Newsday in stating that “…the hitters are not fearing him.”
Bryce Harper told Howie Kussoy of the New York Post that he “feels bad” for him.
Harvey should not elicit empathy. Harvey is supposed to evoke dismay upon whoever is in the batter’s box. He’s supposed to be the ace.
Ultimately, what are the Mets, and we, supposed to make of Harvey? Collins would not commit to starting Harvey next week in the Nation’s Capitol, and how could he?
Whether it’s because of arm fatigue, mechanical flaws, or a simple lack of confidence, Harvey must turn it around in order to avoid the fury of the New York faithful. Once a beaming symbol of hope for Mets fans, Harvey is suddenly drawing comparisons to the likes of Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey.
The talk around Harvey coming into 2016 was aspirational. Win a World Series title, contend for a Cy Young award, and live eternally as a Big Apple legend. But as May turns to June, Harvey isn’t even good enough to trade.
Sources: Fangraphs and MLB.com
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