Matt Harvey Shows Promise in “The Debut”

Added by Eddie Utley on July 27, 2012.

Matt Harvey struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings in his Major League debut.

What more could you ask for from the debut of Matt Harvey? The New York Mets have not had this kind of starting pitcher since Dwight Gooden. Harvey may have more quality pitches that Gooden.

Gooden was able to blow people away and, while Harvey does have a fastball that hard, he also has a slider, curve and changeup.

Harvey is actually #2 on the teams prospect list, but he has a year on Zack Wheeler. Not that it should matter. but there are people who cry “why are you rushing him?” A pitcher is ready when they’re ready. I just wish this start came one rotation spot earlier so we didn’t see that Miguel Batista start and maybe he could have stopped the losing streak.

Harvey went 5 1/3 innings and had 11 strikeouts. On top of that, he added two hits of his own. He lit up the radar gun a few times at 98 MPH. Besides Bobby Parnell and the occasional reliever, the Mets have not had this from a starter; it’s so refreshing.

Harvey will have ups and downs like all young pitchers, but he’s off to a good start. He has the makeup, pitch selection and, if they groom him right, then I see him as more than a 3^rd starter, which he has been predicted to be.

Another good thing to come out of this is that Batista is gone. He did sign with the Braves, so maybe they’ll collapse again like last year.