Matt Harvey was once one of the best pitchers in the MLB until injuries derailed his career. The former New York Mets ace last pitched in the Majors in 2021 for the Baltimore Orioles, compiling a brutal 6.27 ERA in 28 starts. And while Harvey doesn't regularly sit in the high 90s anymore, he just proved his worth in the World Baseball Classic with Team Italy, keeping Cuba and the Netherlands at bay as the Italians made it all the way to the quarterfinals before losing to Japan. Harvey tossed seven total innings and surrendered just one run.
The veteran right-hander recently spoke to The New York Post and continues to hope he gets another shot in the Majors, referencing Duque Hebbert's minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers as an example.
“He’s a little younger. I definitely worked as hard as I can to be in that position. Hopefully someone gives me a chance.”
Harvey still believes he can get back to the mid-90s with his heater though, despite typically sitting in the 88-91 mph range these days:
“Obviously I’m not pumping mid-to-upper-90s anymore — at least not yet. Hopefully, the velo comes back. But if it doesn’t, I feel like I still know how to pitch and to get guys out,” Harvey told The Post from Japan. “I’ve worked really hard on a different style of pitching. I feel good. Hopefully the stuff comes back. But I can still pitch. The game is still about getting people out.”
Although Matt Harvey is no spring chicken anymore, the righty can clearly still get guys out. After all, it's not all about velocity. There are numerous big leaguers on both Cuba and the Netherlands and he managed to prevent them from doing damage.
If anything, Harvey will get a minor league deal like Hebbert, who opened eyes for Team Nicaragua after striking out Julio Rodriguez, Juan Soto, and Rafael Devers during an outing against Dominican.
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