Scott Boras’ plan to resurrect Matt Harvey’s career
CLEVELAND – Play along. Really, if you are a Mets fan what else do you have right now besides imagining a couple of those questionable dominoes falling right for the team next year?
With so few sure things and the likelihood of a lowered payroll, the Mets will need a few question marks – perhaps more than a few – to turn into exclamation points.
For example, what if Matt Harvey could return to being even 80 percent of vintage Matt Harvey? Yeah, not probable. The guy just ballooned from a 2.71 ERA in 2015 to 4.86 in 2016 to 6.70 in 2017 – the worst by an NL pitcher permitted to make 17 starts since Russ Ortiz’s 6.89 in 2005.
So what is the case for a turnaround? Obviously, Scott Boras has a vested interest as Harvey’s career-long agent. But even Boras’ harshest critics say he dedicates himself to finding ways for his clients to perform.
For Harvey, Boras says, that will include stints in the agent’s Southern California sports institute to have “a substantial throwing program for him. The idea is to have a lot of reps to get his fastball command back and get his release point down” after both vanished in his return from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
For Harvey – and, thus, Boras – the stakes are large. Sandy Alderson has indicated Harvey will be tendered a 2018 contract despite the atrocious 2017. But, to some degree, that is about having come this far in a marathon with Harvey, so why not go the distance?
Harvey is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2018 season. That should provide further motivation to Harvey beyond even resurrecting his career and working on his tattered reputation. His chances to secure a $200 million-plus contract – a possibility not long ago – is gone. But he can position himself for an attractive deal.
“Matt has been blessed with a lower half that is one of the strongest we have ever seen,” Boras said. “He is an amazingly strong athlete. So, from our standpoint the clay is there to build the sculpture. His velocity is more than enough at 95 (mph) and he has a ceiling above that.
“This is about command and command does relate to conditioning and strength. What Matt went through with the TOS (thoracic outlet syndrome), he did not have the type of conditioning last offseason you do when you have normal health. He will have that chance this offseason.”
Boras said Harvey kept taking the ball late in the year despite mainly poor outcomes to better glean where he is and what he needs to work upon.
“The TOS is different for every pitcher, some do have velocity issues,” Boras said. “But this was about executing pitches and Matt has a totally different offseason to work on it.”
Boras also is aware that his client has poorly navigated bright lights and big city. The problematic incidents are too frequent and Harvey failed to show up for a game this season and was briefly suspended.
“Matt is very committed to getting his abilities to a place they were before and he wants to get back there again,” Boras said. “Like a radio signal can be strong, but some times there is interference, it is our job to get him back to the right frequency. … The great thing about experience and time is you learn through mistakes the right course to take.
“I think Matt’s direction is one where he is fighting for something he really wants. There is a level of understanding that experience has brought him that ability creates opportunity, but ability alone is not the complete guide to success.”
Mets led the majors in …
There were 1,358 players used in the majors this season, breaking the record of 1,353 set last year, which broke the 1,348 of 2015. You see the trend, right?
Of the 1,358, 62 signed their first pro contract with a major league team with the Mets – which was the most in MLB. The second most was the 59 of the Yankees, followed by 56 by the Red Sox and 55 by the Rangers.
The Mets number reflects a lingering class of players from the Omar Minaya reign such as Lucas Duda, Jeurys Familia, Daniel Murphy and Joe Smith and Sandy Alderson’s tenure, including 12 from his first draft class in 2012, which featured Brandon Nimmo, Michael Fulmer and Seth Lugo.
The Yankees’ number was inflated by 14 players making their major league debuts this year, notably Jordan Montgomery, but also players such as Rookie Davis, Nik Turley and Tyler Webb.