Even if Chris Schwinden gets rocked tonight in Colorado, the Mets shouldn’t respond with Matt Harvey.
There is a hole in the Mets’ rotation following Mike Pelfrey’s elbow injury and likely more than one candidate will be used to fill the void. Schwinden gets first crack. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be like Dillon Gee was last summer and win from the start.
However, if he doesn’t, the Mets would be making a mistake to dip into their minor league for Harvey, their first-round pick – and the seventh overall selection – in the 2010 draft out of North Carolina.
Harvey has pitched well for Triple-A Buffalo, and seemingly has all the tools. He’s been clocked from 93 to 95 on his fastball and has a plus curveball and change-up.
But, he doesn’t know how to pitch in the major leagues and is just learning on the Triple-A level. Rushing him now could cause a setback in his development should he be hit hard. The Mets rushed Jenrry Mejia and Pelfrey, and shouldn’t take the gamble on Harvey.
Last night, the Mets fielded a home grown lineup for the first time in 41 years. They are developing a good, young core, and Harvey could be a key figure on the mound in the future. Despite the Mets off to a good start, the future isn’t now for them.
The prudent thing is to develop Harvey for this season, and perhaps give him a taste as a September call-up. Let him learn to walk before they let him run. They won’t regret that decision.