LAKELAND, FL – I see the hysteria that has erupted on Twitter during spring training on Matt Harvey about his velocity and I am here to tell you Met fans: Relax and take a deep breath. He is coming off surgery and spring training is a process despite the fact we all live in a now world.
This is the first time I saw him this year and I thought he showed good command on all of his pitches. Good not great but far better than I saw on TV earlier in the spring. But just to make sure I was not hallucinating I asked both his catcher, Kevin Plawecki and his manager, Terry Collins about his performance. Both indicated that they felt his command was the best he has exhibited all spring. More importantly, he was throwing strikes and seemed to be executing his delivery on a consistent basis which Collins felt was a huge positive on this day in Lakeland.
Many experts maintain the surgery Harvey had last year would take 10 months for a full recovery which would be around May 15. The pitcher I saw today is well on the way to a full recovery and his performances down here are part of that process. For you radar gun fans, Harvey did hit 95MPH+ on a few occasions which should help calm down some of the hysteria on Mets Twitter. Simply put, I have watched Matt Harvey from Day 1 in a Met uniform and he is far more than just velocity as he possesses a multitude of pitches which he commands exceedingly well.
I saw instances of that today and with two Spring Training Matt Harvey starts remaining, I firmly believe he is rounding into the type of shape that will put him on the mound at Citi during the season’s first week. Let’s not forget this is not only a talented pitcher but one that has a competitive fire all great hurlers possess. In my opinion, coming off a surgery takes patience and he is showing that. But he is also showing the desire we’ve seen from him on numerous occasions during his career.
So take that deep breath Met fans and you will be rewarded with watching Matt Harvey in 2017. Trust me on this one. He will be fine.