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Mets Season in Review: Matt Harvey

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:45 p.m. ET

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Matt Harvey, quite possibly the most polarizing Met, came into the 2016 season with a lot to prove.

Going into the 2015 season, it was pretty much a question mark for Harvey and the Mets.

Missing the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John Surgery, we didn’t know what to expect both psychically and mentally. But for the most part, he led a young pitching staff for most of it and pitched well.

Going 13-8 with a 2.71 ERA during the regular season, he posted a 2-0 record in the postseason with a 3.04 ERA (though all we remember is the 9th inning of Game 5 against Kansas City in the World Series).  The ending always leaves a sour taste in anyone’s mouth, so Harvey had a lot to prove in the 2016 season.

We’ve already talked about the curious case of Matt Harvey. Now, let’s take an in-depth look at his 2016 season and hear some thoughts from our authors.

How He Fared in 2016

In short, it didn’t go the way anyone expected.

Of course, you could look at numbers and statistics all you want (4-10, 4.86 ERA), but Harvey just didn’t seem to have “it” for most of his injury-plagued campaign.

Starting the season with three straight losses to the World Champion Royals, division rival Phillies and outer-league Indians, Harvey didn’t have is unique control or velocity. Striking out only 76 through 92.2 innings and walking only 12 less people in nearly 100 innings less than the previous year is enough evidence to know something was bothering him.

The way he started the 2016 season, you would’ve thought 2015 would’ve been the season to start off on the wrong side of numbers. As the season moved on, it just seemed like a slog. Even when Harvey had better stuff in different outings, he just never seemed to look like himself.

Then when news broke that Harvey would need season ending surgery for a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome, it all seemed to make sense. Was this the reason why his velocity was down? Was this the reason why he couldn’t command his pitches like he had in the past?

All in all, 2016 was a season to forgot for both Matt Harvey and the Mets.

Areas to Improve Upon

It’s very hard to breakdown specific areas for a particular player to improve upon coming off of an injury shortened season. The one thing Matt Harvey always had was his command to fall back on. He could paint the corners and drop a curve ball on a dime. He always struck out a lot while walking a few, so when those two things don’t work to his advantage, it’s telling.

But for the sake of argument, I’d personally like to see him improve his durability. Be able to get to the 30 game plateau in a regular season. Hit the 200 innings mark in a regular season. Not because he can’t do it, but to show he can do it.

Injuries have plagued him multiple seasons, so naysayers have their doubts. And to be honest, you’ll probably see Terry Collins use him differently to help preserve that arm. Especially in today’s game, you don’t want to push pitchers past their comfort zone.

Another area would be the long ball, giving up 8 through 17 games started was not great, so let’s hope next year he keeps those numbers down.

Projected Role in 2017

If healthy, the sky is the limit for this entire pitching staff, including Harvey.

With the mix of age and absolutely filthy stuff from pretty much everyone, the biggest nemesis is health. Of the four top pitchers the Mets have on their rotation, Harvey was the first to come along. He led this staff in the past and I truly feel he can lead them again. He was always the bulldog of this rotation.

One of my favorite parts of 2015 was early in the season when he threw inside to Chase Utley (a guy EVERY Mets fan loves to hate for reasons I won’t get into). Coming back from Tommy John surgery and sticking up for his teammates is an attribute you can’t have enough of. We’ve seen Noah Syndergaard recently take the role and run with it.

I think Harvey can regain his past form and be the top pitcher on this staff for the 2017 season.

Contract Status and Trade Rumors

Being under contract until 2018, his arbitration number will obviously go up in the future (1 year, $4.235 million for the 2016 season, according to Marc Carig of Newsday).

Even after a rough year, you have to think the Mets will attempt to sign Harvey to an extension in the future. That’s why 2017 is an even bigger year for both parties. Can he stay healthy and lead the team to a World Series? Or is he a disposable piece that can get you more players for a big need (Catcher/Outfield) on a pitcher-heavy team? Either way, it’s a great problem to have.

More Rising Apple thoughts on Harvey

Michelle Ioannou, Editor 

Harvey had an interesting season to say the least. He was off for the majority of it….and then we found out about the bladder infection and issue. Once we were all relieved that it wasn’t as serious as it could have been, fast-forward a couple of months later, and he has season-ending surgery. Of course this was a bummer for Mets fans everywhere – we wanted to see our Dark Knight, we wanted to have Happy Harvey Days, but we didn’t. When Harvey was “healthy” and pitching, it was not the Harvey we knew. 2016 can arguably be known as “the lost season” of Harvey – now let me go knock on wood before I jinx anything.

Oh, and of course, let’s never forget how personal Harvey got on Watch What Happens Live before the season even began.

JT. Teran, Editor

Matt Harvey’s 2016 campaign was forgetful to say the least. We never really got The Dark Knight from previous years, and while we could argue whether it was mechanics or the injury that eventually forced him to get surgery, you could tell Harvey didn’t trust himself or his stuff for most of the season. It was painful to watch, so I can’t imagine how tough on his psyche last year must have been.

But Harvey’s a competitor though. He’s shown us Mets fans that as long as he’s able to pitch, he’s going to give it everything he’s got, and that’s one of the main reasons I’m excited for next season. It’s a clean slate, with less expectations than previous years, and I think he’ll flourish going a bit under the radar. While he may not be the ace of the staff – that title rightfully belonging to Noah – Harvey can still be a pillar for this rotation.

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