Harvey, one of the Mets’ top prospects, may be called up to the big leagues as soon as this week.
Tonight with the Mets being off, SNY will show the Buffalo Bisons taking on the Toledo Mud Hens at 7:05pm EST. Matt Harvey will start the game for Buffalo, and it just may be the most important start he has made in his minor league career.
Harvey has been rock solid of as of late for Buffalo, and he currently is 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA on the season. The key for him is that lately his walks have been down. If Harvey pitches well tonight, the Mets will most likely call him up for Saturday’s game against the Dodgers.
It has been up for debate whether or not Harvey is ready for the MLB. Lately Harvey has shown like he could survive in the majors, but he has had his struggles in AAA. I am from the school of thought that a prospect as highly touted as Harvey should not be called until:
1. The organization feels that he is as ready as he will ever be.
2. He is put into a situation where he has a chance to succeed.
As of right now, I am not sure if Harvey meets these two criteria, but tonight’s start could change everything. Many Mets team officials will be in Buffalo tonight to watch Harvey’s start live. It will be interesting to see how he handles the extra pressure.
One thing I would like to remind you of is this: It is only 1 start. If Harvey pitches well tonight, there is no guarantee he comes out Saturday and dominates. If he comes out flat, he may just not have had his best stuff. The key is to keep things in perspective.
The key for Matt tonight is locating his fastball early in the count and finishing people off with his secondary pitches. If Matt can do this, he will have a fine start and should be called up to the big leagues before Saturday’s game.
Overall, from watching several of Harvey’s starts live this season, I am undecided as to whether or not Harvey can succeed at the big league level right now. Can he survive? Yes. Is he a better option than Miguel Batista? Absolutely! But will he step into the rotation and be a top end starter right away? This we will have to see.
