Matt Harvey close to minor league deal. (Update: signed)

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, accinfo said:

Thanks for your service

Ditto.  And good luck with your retirement!

[HbgOsFan]

7 hours ago, Jammer7 said:

The intent of distribution laws is not applicable here. Matt Harvey was not dealing/distributing prescription drugs, based on the testimony. Simply giving someone a pill or two is not akin to being a dealer, who does this for profit or in furtherance of a criminal organization’s profit. Again, it’s a false narrative.

I am going to out myself here. I retire today, after more than 28 years as a law enforcement officer. I worked in drug enforcement for many years for a large agency in Florida, often assigned to task forces and such. So, I do have just a little background here. And no, I do not condone his sharing prescription drugs. I am just giving you context of what I have seen. The courts generally do not want those kinds of cases involving the common citizen, and they generally get rid of them with little consequence. 

Please, do not tell me about assumptions that Skaggs ingested anything from Harvey. There is no evidence, testimonial or otherwise, that indicates that. Therefore, it does not exist. 

When I referred to Matt as a solid vet, it had to do with his professional attitude, work ethic and demeanor. The example he set, according to everything I have read, was excellent. Let’s face it, you’re not wrong about the numbers, but there was a lot to like as well. The starts after the break were pretty good, then the injury. His four July starts we’re very good, 3-1, 2.45 era, 22 IP, 19 H, 14K, 2BB, .95 WHIP, .229 BA against. Overall, according to Fangraphs, his FIP/xFIP was 4.6/4.81 and he had 1.9 WAR. The guy is fighting his health issues every day. He is hungry to prove himself again. A low cost bet on a very competitive guy, I have no problem with that at all. 

He is cheap, and a guy that if he does nothing, it is of no consequence. Matt is a known quantity to them. Cueto is such a good veteran option for a contender, and costs a good bit more. There were other options, and I am sure Elias pursued many that turned him down. That is the thing many forget, the player has to actually want to come here. 

The opioid crisis in this country, and around the world, is killing people every day. According to the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), 130 people die each day to an opioid overdose. According to the CDC, in 2020, “prescription” opioids accounted for 44 deaths each day. This stuff makes “crack” and meth look like child’s play. I have seen far too much death from this from all walks of life. 

Appreciate your service, good luck with retirement, and keep your observations coming.  I particularly enjoy what you offer on the Minors thread.

[justD]

8 minutes ago, HbgOsFan said:

Appreciate your service, good luck with retirement, and keep your observations coming.  I particularly enjoy what you offer on the Minors thread.

I second that. 

[Jammer7]

Thank you all for the kind words. I greatly appreciate it. I have been blessed. I did not mean to take over the thread, my apologies. I just do not like injustices like this, and I figured establishing my credibility mattered. Matt has made his share of mistakes, haven’t we all? He has learned and matured from them, according to Hyde and Elias. Who better to mentor young guys?

The fact that Fangraphs had him listed with 1.9 WAR in 2021 really surprised me. I figured he’d be on the plus side, slightly, but basically a two WAR pitcher…wow. 

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Jammer7 said:

Thank you all for the kind words. I greatly appreciate it. I have been blessed. I did not mean to take over the thread, my apologies. I just do not like injustices like this, and I figured establishing my credibility mattered. Matt has made his share of mistakes, haven’t we all? He has learned and matured from them, according to Hyde and Elias. Who better to mentor young guys?

The fact that Fangraphs had him listed with 1.9 WAR in 2021 really surprised me. I figured he’d be on the plus side, slightly, but basically a two WAR pitcher…wow. 

That’s why I dislike fWAR.   They rely way too heavily on FIP.

[Sports Guy]

2 hours ago, Jammer7 said:

Thank you all for the kind words. I greatly appreciate it. I have been blessed. I did not mean to take over the thread, my apologies. I just do not like injustices like this, and I figured establishing my credibility mattered. Matt has made his share of mistakes, haven’t we all? He has learned and matured from them, according to Hyde and Elias. Who better to mentor young guys?

The fact that Fangraphs had him listed with 1.9 WAR in 2021 really surprised me. I figured he’d be on the plus side, slightly, but basically a two WAR pitcher…wow. 

Good for you for getting out when you did.  Would hate to be a cop in this country right now.

 

[Jammer7]

11 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Good for you for getting out when you did.  Would hate to be a cop in this country right now.

 

Thanks, Rob. 

[Matt Bennett]

I think Harvey and Zimmermann are ultimately the 2 that come into the rotation to “stabilize” it until a Rodriguez/Hall can hop in. As unexciting as that sounds. Probably better than the Voth + Watkins combo. I don’t see Elias doing anything flashy and trading any kind of prospect for a major league upgrade. 

I get the idea that Mike Baumann has no idea where his pitches are going despite the decent stuff. I’m glad they have him starting in Norfolk now though. It seemed odd that they didn’t considering his prospect pedigree and the fact that he hasn’t really failed at starting like Akin did. Still, I’d like to see him get on a roll with the Tides before calling him up. He’s been yanked around. 

Not much else down there. 

[Jammer7]

46 minutes ago, Matt Bennett said:

I think Harvey and Zimmermann are ultimately the 2 that come into the rotation to “stabilize” it until a Rodriguez/Hall can hop in. As unexciting as that sounds. Probably better than the Voth + Watkins combo. I don’t see Elias doing anything flashy and trading any kind of prospect for a major league upgrade. 

I get the idea that Mike Baumann has no idea where his pitches are going despite the decent stuff. I’m glad they have him starting in Norfolk now though. It seemed odd that they didn’t considering his prospect pedigree and the fact that he hasn’t really failed at starting like Akin did. Still, I’d like to see him get on a roll with the Tides before calling him up. He’s been yanked around. 

Not much else down there. 

I agree with you. Though, I actually am intrigued by Voth and want to see him get stretched out. His stuff has been pretty good. I want to see if a starter routine is better for his command. 

[LA2]

On 6/30/2022 at 2:36 PM, ScGO's said:

Harvey had a 4.60 FIP last year, and had a couple solid streaks of good pitching. It was also the most innings he threw since 2018.  Now he's well rested and was probably able to learn a lot about himself in those 127.2 IP last year.  I think Matt Harvey could be the equivalent of Jordan Lyles when he is called up.

Especially if we're only demanding a half-season of ball from him and can back him up with a better bullpen and defense. I think last year was tough for him in terms of endurance. The further LF wall might help too--he served up a fair number of home runs--19 in 127.67 innings.

[OriolesMagic83]

Help us Matt Harvey, you're our only hope!

[owknows]

5 hours ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Help us Matt Harvey, you're our only hope!

Best Han Solo voice..... "I've got a bad feeling about this".

[Frobby]

Five scoreless for Harvey tonight at Bowie, no runs, four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts.   Threw 83 pitches.  

He’s eligible to be called up the next time it’s his turn, but the rotation is on a roll right now so it’s not clear he’ll be up right now. 
 

[maybenxtyr]

22 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Five scoreless for Harvey tonight at Bowie, no runs, four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts.   Threw 83 pitches.  

He’s eligible to be called up the next time it’s his turn, but the rotation is on a roll right now so it’s not clear he’ll be up right now. 
 

I'm not suggesting that Harvey is the answer, but Voth is very easily replaceable 

[Frobby]

5 minutes ago, maybenxtyr said:

I'm not suggesting that Harvey is the answer, but Voth is very easily replaceable 

Sure, but I’d rather let him have his shot than just hand his spot to Harvey.