The Mets stuck to the script last night and drafted another big pitcher with their first-round pick of the amateur draft, selecting right-hander Matt Harvey, out of North Carolina, and his heavy fastball.
The Mets are hoping they have another Mike Pelfrey in Harvey, who was drafted seventh overall. Pelfrey was the ninth pick of the 2005 draft.
Like Pelfrey, Harvey is represented by Scott Boras, which should make the negotiations a roller-coaster ride.
Harvey is a workhorse, which is good and bad.
He had a 157-pitch outing in a win over Clemson this season.
Said Mets area supervisor Marlin McPhail of that outing, “You tend to get a little nervous, quite frankly.”
Harvey said he was just finishing the job, noting, “I was going to do anything I could to pull out the win. My whole body felt good after that.”
He struck out the side in the eighth and his last pitch that night was clocked at 96 miles per hour.
The 6-foot-4 Harvey was 7-3 with a 3.10 ERA this season for the Tar Heels, striking out 93 batters in 90 innings and walking 32.
In his sophomore season he was 7-2 with a save and a 5.40 ERA.
He also won seven games his freshman year. A lot of sevens working here.
Harvey, 21, is from Mystic, Conn. He grew up as a Yankees and Patriots fan.
Harvey was the fourth pitcher taken in the first seven picks.
He was a third-round pick of the Angels in 2007, the 118th player selected.
At that time he was compared to Rick Porcello.
“He kind of went backwards a little bit,” one scout said of Harvey as Porcello stormed into the majors with the Tigers.
Harvey slipped in his sophomore season with his ERA ballooning to 5.40.
He had delivery issues that season, issues that he said he cleaned up after the season.
Mets scouting director Rudy Terrasas has been in charge of the club’s draft since 2005 and has found gold with such players as Pelfrey, the ninth pick of the 2005 draft, and Ike Davis, the 18th overall selection of the 2008 draft.
“He’s able to bring power and he has the power body,” Terrasas said of Harvey.
The Mets could use more of that.