Former Oakland A’s minor leaguer Matt Harvey is refusing to give his in his quest to return to the majors, and is hoping for a contract when the lockdown is over.
Matt Harvey had a very brief tenure with the Oakland A’s, signing a minor league deal as a free agent after his unceremonious departure from the Angels. He signed on August 17, and pitched a total of 17 innings in AAA for Oakland. And that was it – he became a free agent at the end of the season without ever appearing in the majors for the A’s.
Yet Harvey is not willing to hang the cleats up yet. He is still throwing bullpens twice a week, hoping for a contract when the lockdown and roster freeze comes to an end. Hope has to spring eternal somewhere, even in these dark, A’s-less days.
One does have to wonder how realistic Harvey’s hopes are. The Blue Jays were the only team even rumored to be slightly interested in his services, but passed after a tryout. Considering how the past few years have been, no one can blame the rest of the league for passing on his services.
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There was a time when Harvey was one of the best pitchers in the game. The Dark Knight ruled Gotham, a warrior on the Mets 2015 National League champions. He posted a 13-8 record with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.019 WHiP, striking out 188 batters with 37 walks in his 189.1 innings. Harvey appeared on the verge of stardom.
Instead, that would be the high point of his career. He showed up to spring training the following season out of shape, seemingly believing his own press clippings. Harvey disappointed in an injury plagued 2016, and it went downhill from there. By the point he was dumped by the Mets, he had become known as a malcontent, someone who refused to accept coaching and refused to accept that they needed help.
But now, that may have changed. Harvey has stated his willingness to pitch out of the bullpen, and has been working with his father to correct bad habits he got into with his delivery. He believes he can come back and be productive once more, hoping to join the ranks of other former Oakland A’s pitchers Rich Hill and Scott Kazmir.
All it takes is one team to believe in Matt Harvey. But he may be waiting for a long time for that call.