The future is no longer near. He is here.
Prized pitching prospect Matt Harvey joined the Mets yesterday at Citi Field, throwing a bullpen session, and will officially be activated today, in preparation of his much-anticipated major league debut on Thursday at Arizona.
With Johan Santana and Dillon Gee on the disabled list and the team’s postseason hopes shrinkingwith the bloodbath that has been its second half, manager Terry Collins and general manager Sandy Alderson made sure the 23-year-old knows he can’t fix all that ails the Mets.
“We just said, ‘Look, don’t approach this that you’re the savior and you’re going to turn this thing around because you’re in the rotation now,’ ” Collins said before the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Nationals last night. “There are a lot of things we’ve got to fix. Our starting rotation is only one part of it. Hopefully at the end of the year we have a real good read on what the future holds.
“I watched his bullpen and his stuff’s very, very good. He is driven. He knows he can compete, knows what kind of stuff he has and has great confidence in what he can do and has to do. His makeup reminds me of Johan, the way he competes.”
Harvey, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft, arrived from Triple-A Buffalo excited, but as grounded and mild-mannered as Clark Kent.
“On the field, you just trust your stuff and not try and be Superman,” said Harvey, replacing Miguel Batista in the rotation. “That’s not possible. I can’t be perfect. The only thing I can do is go out and try and do the best I can and do whatever I can to win.”
Batista was designated for assignment.
Harvey, who will wear No. 33, is 7-5 with a 3.68 ERA in 20 starts with Buffalo this season, recording 112 strikeouts in 110 innings. A power pitcher, Harvey’s debut was pushed until the Mets reached the road, rather than start him during the three-game home series against the Nationals, to help minimize what may be the biggest day of the youngster’s life.
“There won’t be as many people in the stands who grew up with him 30 minutes from here and there won’t be as many [media] in front of his locker when he gets to the ballpark that day, so he’ll be a little more relaxed,” Collins said about the Connecticut native. “It also gives him a couple days to be up here and see what it’s like.”
Now physically in New York, Harvey denies his mind had already been here during his last outing on Saturday, in which he allowed six earned runs in five innings. The right-hander said he is confident, but knows he will have to compose himself with the increased adrenaline. Everything else, he said, he is keeping the same.
“It’s just believing in what you have and what got you here,” said Harvey. “The success has been here, just learning and adjusting to each level. Last year I went to Double-A and had some struggles and figured it out, went to Triple-A, had some struggles and figured it out. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I can do that and hopefully I can do that here.”
Alderson is prepared either way, with a move more pragmatic than panacea. An immediate hole is filled, but more importantly, long-term growth begins.
“He’s ready to pitch here, but this is still part of his development process,” said Alderson, adding that Harvey would make two or three starts on the upcoming 11-game road trip. “There’s going to be a period of adjustment here at the Major League level, so we don’t expect him to be perfect when he comes up here. He was ready to come up here and obviously there is a need at this point, but there was a nice convergence of that. There is no perfect time.”