Mike Pelfrey is done for the season due to Tommy John surgery. There was a lack of quality pitching during the Houston Astros series. For these reasons, there has been plenty of talk among fans and bloggers about whether Matt Harvey and other prospects should come up. As a guest on the Phil Naessen’s show Wednesday night, I disagreed wholeheartedly with the idea. The following three quotes from an MLB scout, Mets manager Terry Collins and General Manager Sandy Alderson, support what I think is the best way to handle Harvey and company.
“Harvey is the future or a part of it, but I’d call him up. He was very solid when I saw him and I personally believe when pitchers are ready you do it, because health is always a question going forward. If a pitcher is ready, let them fire their bullets in the big leagues. Harvey would be the second- or third-best [Mets] starter right now.” MLB scout as reported by Mike Puma, New York Post
“I’ve spent too many years in Triple-A with good pitchers to know that numbers aren’t always the true indicator of whether they can pitch here. So Matt Harvey, the one thing he’s got to show us is that he can throw all of his pitches for strikes, regardless of what the results may be. With his arm and his stuff, if he can pound the strike zone with all of his pitches, he’s going to be effective.” Terry Collins as reported by Adam Rubin, ESPNNewYork.com
“Matt’s future and the future of our other prospects are not directly tied to an immediate, perhaps short-term need. They’re really tied to what’s in the best interest of the organization, and the individual player longer-term.” Sandy Alderson on Matt Harvey and other prospects as reported by Andy McCullough, Star Ledger
“I think their patience is kind of wearing a little bit with my performance. I have to keep my head on straight, and if I get another opportunity, go for it.” Chris Schwinden after Houston outing as reported by Roger Rubin, New York Daily News
“If he goes out there and does that eight or nine times in a row, it’s going to make people wonder and think. But I don’t think [a callup] is going to happen right now. It’s still a learning process.” Wally Backman as reported by Mike Harrington, Buffalo News
“He’s trying way too hard. He’s coming off two good years, and he’s trying to get it going a little bit. He’s just got to relax and pitch.” Terry Collins on Manny Acosta as reported by Adam Rubin, ESPNNewYork.com
“Tonight I literally threw one pitch I regretted and it got hit out of the park. One more wiggle to the knuckleball right there and that doesn’t happen – he pops that up. It’s the only pitch I’d take back all night.” R.A. Dickey after Houston Astros game as reported by Metsblog.com
“You don’t want to give up home runs. If you’re giving up a lot of them there’s got to be a reason for it. One of the reasons obviously is that we’re leaving balls in the middle of the plate. We’re not making pitches we need to make. That doesn’t have anything to do with the philosophy. It has to do with the execution side.” Terry Collins, Wednesday post-game presser on SNY
“I think everything that I have done has been working pretty good. I think the most important thing is that I feel good and I’m able to come back from one start to another without any problems. So everything has been positive, and that’s the way I’m going to continue doing it.” Johan Santana as reported by Anthony Rieber, Newsday.com
“There’s no question we’re going to miss Pelf.” David Wright on Mike Pelfrey’s absence as reported by Brian Costa, Wall Street Journal
There is some talk of bringing Collin McHugh up, but I think the Mets need to deal with Schwinden through the rough times and wait for a trade to open up.