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River Ave. Blues » Joe Harvey

Clint Frazier headed to injured list with left ankle strain

April 25, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

The Yankees just welcomed one player back from the injured list (Gary Sanchez), so now it’s time to lose someone else. Clint Frazier is heading to the 10-day injured list with a left ankle strain, Aaron Boone announced following tonight’s win. The Yankees believe it is a two-week injury. We’ll see.

“Fraz very much feels like he can play or is close to playing, but the MRI revealed enough in there — I don’t have the exact what it is — but revealed enough of some partial tear and it’s gonna cost him the ten days,” Boone told Lindsey Adler.

Frazier suffered the injury Monday night when he slid back into second base awkwardly. His spike got caught and he rolled over on his ankle. Frazier finished the game, but he was held out of the lineup the last two days because of soreness and swelling. He went for an MRI today. Here’s the play:

The Yankees have been kicking butt the last week or so and Frazier was a big part of that. He’s hitting .324/.342/.632 (150 wRC+) and looking awfully dangerous at the plate. Now this dumb, fluky injury will keep him out at least ten days. The poor kid can’t catch a break.

Boone said the Yankees will use Frazier’s injured list stint to recall Joe Harvey before his ten days in the minors are up. I have to believe another move is coming. The Yankees have five interleague games in National League parks coming up and I can’t see them going into those games without two actual outfielders on the roster.

The easy move would be sending down Jonathan Loaisiga and calling up … Billy Burns? Matt Lipka? Brad Miller? I have no idea. Maybe a minor trade is coming. Third catcher Kyle Higashioka is the only healthy 40-man roster position player not in the big leagues roster now. (The Yankees can put Luis Severino on the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot at this point.)

Frazier is the 15th different Yankee to spend time on the injured list this season. They can’t catch a break. Sanchez returns, Frazier gets hurt. Giancarlo Stanton needed a cortisone shot in his shoulder this week and no one else is particularly close to returning. No mas.

Filed Under: Injuries Tagged With: Clint Frazier, Joe Harvey

Game 23: Not Another Marathon

April 23, 2019 by Mike

(Sean M. Haffey/Getty)

Gosh, last night was a grind. Did you stay up for the entire game? I hope not. I did and I regretted it when my alarm went off this morning. Five hits in 14 innings? In a West Coast night game? No one deserves that. Fortunately, the Yankees eked out a win, and they’ve won six of their last seven games.

“Finding a way right now. It’s not easy for us by any means but the guys have been finding a way,” Aaron Boone said to George King following last night’s win. “… A lot of big outings from pitchers and we caught the ball well. Really happy with the way guys are competing and getting after it right now.”

After that game last night, I’m hoping for a bit of a laugher tonight. Score early and often, and cruise to the finish line, you know? I think we all deserve that after last night. After the last two games, really. Sunday was a battle too. Anyway, here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 3B DJ LeMahieu
2. DH Luke Voit
3. CF Brett Gardner
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. 1B Mike Ford
6. RF Mike Tauchman
7. C Austin Romine
8. 2B Thairo Estrada
9. LF Tyler Wade

RHP Domingo German

Los Angeles Angels
1. RF Kole Calhoun
2. CF Mike Trout
3. 1B Justin Bour
4. SS Andrelton Simmons
5. DH Albert Pujols
6. LF Brian Goodwin
7. C Kevan Smith
8. 2B Tommy La Stella
9. 3B David Fletcher

RHP Chris Stratton


Another picture perfect evening in Anaheim. Probably. I didn’t bother to check. Tonight’s game will begin at 10:07pm ET and the YES Network will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Clint Frazier (ankle) has some swelling, but he feels good and is available tonight. Boone held him out of the lineup as a precaution.

Roster Move: As expected, Jonathan Loaisiga was called up earlier today, the Yankees announced. He is available out of the bullpen following last night’s marathon. A big lead and Loaisiga finishing the game would be ideal. Joe Harvey was sent down in a corresponding move.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Clint Frazier, Joe Harvey, Jonathan Loaisiga

Game 12: Escape from Houston

April 10, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

Two games against the Astros, two blown late-inning leads. The lead disappeared in the seventh and Houston took the lead in the eighth in both games. How annoying. Even more annoying is the way the Yankees screw up the most basic stuff each game. Every game there’s an dopey error or a bad baserunning decision. Every single game.

“It’s got to be better, especially when you’re playing a really good team, and you’re up against a really good pitcher. You’ve got to do the little things that allow you to win ballgames,” Aaron Boone said to Coley Harvey following last night’s loss. “The bottom line is, we’re really close to playing a good brand and a complete game.”

WELL ACTUALLY, the Yankees played their sloppiest game of the season last night, and all the mistakes contributed to the loss. If you have to keep saying you’re really close to doing something, you’re not actually close to doing it. The Yankees have to clean up the sloppy mistakes to beat teams like the Astros. It is imperative. Here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. DH Luke Voit
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. 1B Greg Bird
6. 3B DJ LeMahieu
7. LF Clint Frazier
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Tyler Wade

LHP James Paxton

Houston Astros
1. RF George Springer
2. 2B Jose Altuve
3. LF Michael Brantley
4. SS Carlos Correa
5. 3B Yuli Gurriel
6. DH Tyler White
7. 1B Aledmys Diaz
8. C Max Stassi
9. CF Jake Marisnick

RHP Collin McHugh


Another warm and sunny day in Houston, and the Minute Maid Park roof is open. Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:40pm ET and you can watch on the YES Network locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the ballgame.

Injury Updates: CC Sabathia (knee, heart) will start Saturday’s game. That is the first day he is eligible to be activated off the injured list … Giancarlo Stanton (biceps) has started taking swings now that his ten-day shutdown period is over … Aaron Hicks (back) has started swinging a bat. He’s doing tee and soft toss work in addition to throwing and running … Miguel Andujar (shoulder) played catch today for the first time since being shut down. Here’s video. As you can see, it was not the most intense throwing session. Twenty-five throws at 60 feet. Andujar said he felt better than expected, and he is tentatively scheduled to throw again Friday. He might even swing a bat that day as well … Gary Sanchez is out of the lineup with calf tightness. He first felt it following Monday’s game and the Yankees put him through some tests, which came back fine. They’re giving him two straight days off (tomorrow’s an off-day) as a precaution. Sanchez is available tonight.

Roster Move: The Yankees optioned Jonathan Loaisiga to Triple-A Scranton following last night’s game and they called up right-hander Joe Harvey today, the team announced. It is Harvey’s first big league call-up. He is a short reliever, not someone who can soak up innings in long relief. I imagine Harvey is going back to Triple-A when Sabathia is activated Saturday.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Aaron Hicks, CC Sabathia, Gary Sanchez, Giancarlo Stanton, Joe Harvey, Jonathan Loaisiga, Miguel Andujar

The Scranton shuttle and other relief depth [2019 Season Preview]

March 15, 2019 by Derek Albin

(Presswire)

It’s pretty easy to predict how the Yankees are going to staff their bullpen this season. There are six players guaranteed a roster spot, barring injury. The team is planning to carry a 13 man pitching staff this year, meaning that there are two open spots assuming a five man starting rotation. Tommy Kahnle probably snags one of the two jobs considering he’s out of options. The last opening probably will be interchangeable throughout the season, though having a long reliever could be the outcome.

There are no shortage of relievers who could ride the Scranton shuttle this season, rotating as the 13th pitcher as needed. Some of them are already on the 40-man, while others are non-roster invitees. It would be easy to write off any of the foregoing players as significant contributors, but let’s not forget that what Jonathan Holder did last year. He went from being the main back-and-forth guy to a major league bullpen staple.

40-man shuttlers

Stephen Tarpley

There usually isn’t too much to say about a September call-up who’s a reliever. Yet, Tarpley has become a pretty fascinating pitcher to follow. The Yankees probably envision him as Zack Britton-lite, and there’s good reason why. Prior to Britton joining the Yankees, Tarpley spent some time shadowing him prior to the 2017 season. Who knows if that story would have been uncovered had Britton not been traded to New York.

Tarpley saw his groundball rate jump dramatically in 2017, almost certainly due to Britton’s influence. Combine that with the high strikeout rates in the high minors and you have an interesting relief prospect. Tarpley was pretty good in his 10 inning cameo last September and even made the playoff roster. He’ll probably get the bulk of the major league time that anyone else on the Scranton shuttle gets this summer.

Ben Heller

Tommy John surgery cost Heller all of 2018 and will curtail part of his 2019 as well. After going under the knife last April, he’s six weeks away rehab game action. That doesn’t mean he’s close to the big leagues, though. In all likelihood, he’s probably not an option until mid-season.

The Yankees acquired Heller as part of the Andrew Miller trade a few years ago. He’s already seen small parts of two major league seasons with the Yankees, totaling 18 innings. Best known for his mid-to-high 90s fastball, it’ll be interesting to see how his velocity returns this summer. Even though he’s already had a good deal of success in Triple-A, he’s probably going to spend a lot of time there this year.

Joe Harvey

Harvey was a somewhat surprising 40-man roster addition a few months ago. One of the reasons I profiled him in February was because I didn’t know anything about him. He’s still a bit of a mystery, though the Yankees clearly like him enough to save him a seat on the 40-man.

A little bit has been made about the spin rate on his fastball. It’s very good, and spin rate has become all the rage in baseball these days. Just look at what the Astros have done with their pitchers. Anyway, Harvey doesn’t appear to have much else other than a good fastball. Yet, if he puts up numbers like he did in the minors last year (sub 2 ERA), he’ll get his shot this summer.

Non-roster possibilities with big league experience

Danny Farquhar

As Mike wrote last month, it’s pretty easy to pull for Farquhar to carve out a role with the big club. It’s a distinct possibility that he could return to the majors after his near-death experience in the White Sox dugout last summer. As a non-roster invitee who’s already been sent to minor league camp, he’s still on the outside looking in. It’s not hard to see why the Yankees like him: he strikes out plenty of hitters and has had good seasons with Seattle and Tampa Bay. Plus, the Yankees have had him in the organization before, back in 2012. There’s still a lot for Farquhar to overcome, but if he resembles something of his old self he could be in pinstripes this year.

Rex Brothers

Brothers is representative of the adage that lefties never run out of opportunities. The southpaw was pretty impressive for the Rockies early in his career with his high velocity fastball. Eventually, Colorado cut bait when his control evaded him. After not making the Cubs in 2016, he sat out the entire season. Beginning in 2017, he worked his way back to the big leagues with Atlanta. His walk problems never went away though, and he walked more than a batter per inning in the minors last year. Still, his velocity from the left side is tantalizing. He averaged over 96 MPH on his heater in limited time with Atlanta last season. He can’t be totally ignored as an option for the Yankees since he is in camp, but it would probably take a ton of injuries or an unlikely resurgence.

Daniel Coulombe

Stylistically, Coulombe is the opposite of Brothers. Instead of a high-octane fastball, Coulombe is a lefty who relies on his slider and curveball two-thirds of the time. He’s been in the majors every year since 2014, split between the Dodgers and A’s, with middling results. It’s hard to see him as much more than emergency depth even though he’s hung around the highest level for a while now. Maybe another team will want to give him a big league chance before the month is over, but if not, he’ll hang around in Scranton most of the year. Maybe he could be plucked for September call-ups if the Yankees want a matchup lefty.

Prospects invited to big league spring training

Trevor Stephan

Even though Stephan has been a starter in the minors, it sounds like 2017’s 3rd-rounder could be best deployed out of the bullpen. He works exclusively out of the stretch, doesn’t really have a third pitch just yet, and has a little bit of an odd delivery. Stephan’s a pretty big guy, standing at six-foot-four, but his fastball extension is even more impressive. He’s got a seven foot reach which certainly makes his fastball tougher to hit. He’ll be in the minors to start the year, but he should be knocking on the door by year end.

Brady Lail

25-year-olds aren’t always prospects, but Lail became mildly interesting after moving to the bullpen last summer. From getting drafted in 2012 through his climb to Triple-A, the righty was a starter. Last year, he became a full-time reliever and started picking up more strikeouts. He wasn’t a one-and-done type of guy though; he pitched multiple innings quite a bit out of the pen. His ERA was too high, sitting over 5, but as a multi-inning option he could become an alternative to someone like Luis Cessa this season. Lail’s already been assigned to minor league camp, but he could be around later this year.

Raynel Espinal and Phillip Diehl

I’m grouping these two together because Domenic called them out as guys who could help the Yankees this year. Espinal, 27, has been in the organization since 2013 and finally made Triple-A last year. He’s yet another hard-thrower with impressive strikeout rates. Diehl, 24, is a lefty without much of a platoon split thus far in his minor league career. He’s had a great spring (6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K) and Aaron Boone has mentioned him by name when asked who’s impressed in camp. Both are probably heading to Scranton to start the year, but either could become part of the shuttle in a few months.

Cale Coshow

At six-foot-five and 270 pounds, Coshow has a presence on the mound. He flip-flopped between starting and relieving from 2013 through 2016 until becoming a reliever full-time in 2017. You’ve heard this story before: he started to miss a lot more bats in the bullpen. He’s likely low on the promotion pecking order, but the fact that he was in big league camp means the Yankees like him to some degree.

Filed Under: Players Tagged With: 2019 Season Preview, Ben Heller, Brady Lail, Cale Coshow, Daniel Coulombe, Danny Farquhar, Joe Harvey, Phillip Diehl, Raynel Espinal, Rex Brothers, Stephen Tarpley, Trevor Stephan

March 12th: Spring Training Notes: Hicks, Sabathia, Paxton, Gregorius, Heller, Ellsbury, Roster Cuts

March 12, 2019 by Mike

The Yankees rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Orioles tonight. Miguel Andujar had three hits and made a nice defensive play going to his right. Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, and Kyle Higashioka all hit home runs. Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, and Troy Tulowitzki all had base hits as well. Trey Amburgey’s bases loaded walk and Clint Frazier’s sacrifice fly contributed to the three-run eighth inning rally.

Jonathan Loaisiga got the start and gosh, it did not go well. He really labored in the second inning and finished the night having allowed six runs (five earned) in two innings. It would behoove him to pitch well in his final two Grapefruit League appearances. Jonathan Holder allowed a solo homer in an otherwise uneventful night for the big league relievers. Zack Britton threw two innings. Holder, Chad Green, and Aroldis Chapman threw one each. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from Spring Training:

  • Aaron Hicks (back) received a cortisone shot yesterday. He admitted he still had limited mobility when he took swings Sunday. Aaron Boone said Hicks could return to game action this coming weekend. “Something like this lingering, we had to do something about it,” Hicks said, adding he can always go to minor league camp to get a bunch of at-bats before Opening Day, if necessary. [Bryan Hoch, James Wagner]
  • CC Sabathia faced hitters for the first time this spring in a short live batting practice session. Only three hitters. Here’s some video. Also, James Paxton threw a simulated game. He was away from the team this past weekend following a death in his family. [Kristie Ackert, Pete Caldera]
  • Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery) has progressed to take dry swings with a regular bat. He was swinging a fungo bat last week. Gregorius will begin hitting off a tee in a week or two. Until then, dry swings only. [Bryan Hoch]
  • Ben Heller (Tommy John surgery) is ten bullpen sessions into his throwing program and is about six weeks away from pitching in rehab games. He’s throwing fastballs and changeups only now. He’ll introduce sliders into his throwing program next week. [DJ Eberle]
  • Jacoby Ellsbury (hip) is expected to join the Yankees on Sunday. He’s still in rehab mode and only recently started running on flat ground. Ellsbury is still a ways away from baseball activity, let alone playing in games. [Brendan Kuty]
  • More roster cuts: Chance Adams, Trey Amburgey, Cale Coshow, Kellin Deglan, Thairo Estrada, Danny Farquhar, Mike Ford, and Joe Harvey have all been sent to minor league camp, the Yankees announced. I count 50 players in big league camp now.

If you’re interested and will be up early, tonight’s game will be replayed on MLB Network at 6am ET tomorrow. The Yankees have another night game tomorrow night. That’s a home game against the Phillies. Masahiro Tanaka is starting and the game will not be televised.

Filed Under: Spring Training Tagged With: Aaron Hicks, Ben Heller, Cale Coshow, Chance Adams, Danny Farquhar, Didi Gregorius, Jacoby Ellsbury, Joe Harvey, Kellin Deglan, Mike Ford, Thairo Estrada, Trey Amburgey

Yankees sign Aaron Judge, 20 other pre-arbitration-eligible players to one-year contracts for 2019

March 11, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

Opening Day is less than three weeks away and the Yankees recently wrapped up their final little bit of offseason business. The Yankees have signed their 21 pre-arbitration-eligible players to one-year deals for 2019, reports the Associated Press. That’s everyone. The entire 40-man roster is under contract.

As a reminder, players with less than three years of service time do not have arbitration rights. The team can pay them pretty much whatever they want, though they usually negotiate with the player and agree to a salary to maintain a good relationship. The Yankees agreed to deals with everyone this year and did not unilaterally renew anyone, which they did with Dellin Betances back in the day.

Here, via the Associated Press, are the salary details. Because I like you, I’ve gone through the trouble of including each player’s year-to-year raise in parenthesis, assuming last year’s salary information is available. The Major League minimum rose from $545,000 last season to $555,000 this season.

Service Time (Years.Days) MLB Salary MiLB Salary
Gary Sanchez 2.086 $669,800 ($49,400) $310,200
Aaron Judge 2.051 $684,300 ($62,000) $311,150
Chad Green 2.050 $598,650 ($27,850) $285,400
Jordan Montgomery 1.153 $596,600 ($16,150) $290,225
Jonathan Holder 1.144 $580,300 $262,947
Luis Cessa 1.131 $578,975 ($10,050) $210,768
Ben Heller 1.096 $555,000 ($7,525) $273,738
Clint Frazier 1.057 $563,300 ($4,100) $222,711
Miguel Andujar 1.020 $617,600 ($71,800) $269,216
Domingo German 1.017 $577,500 ($29,275) $190,150
Tyler Wade 1.007 $572,000 ($20,700) $155,692
Luke Voit 0.169 $573,200 ($27,600) $145,673
Gleyber Torres 0.162 $605,200 ($60,200) $240,210
Kyle Higashioka 0.124 $562,900 $160,207
Jonathan Loaisiga 0.047 $560,550 ($15,550) $92,766
Stephen Tarpley 0.030 $557,250 $90,400
Chance Adams 0.025 $556,725 $90,400
Domingo Acevedo 0.001 $555,000 $90,400
Albert Abreu 0.000 $555,000 $90,400
Thairo Estrada 0.000 $555,000 ($10,000) $90,400
Joe Harvey 0.000 $555,000 $45,300

Unless the two sides agree to a long-term contract, all pre-arb players sign non-guaranteed one-year split contracts that pay them one salary in the big leagues and another in the minors. Non-guaranteed means the team can release the player in Spring Training and pay him only a fraction of his contract. I don’t expect that to happen with anyone though. I’m just saying.

Most teams, including the Yankees, have a sliding salary scale based on service time for pre-arb players, with escalators for All-Star Games and awards voting, things like that. Minor league salary is determined by big league service time and tenure on the 40-man roster more than anything. This is Harvey’s first year on the 40-man. It’s Abreu’s and Estrada’s second and their minor league salaries are almost exactly double Harvey’s. The math is easy enough.

It goes without saying many pre-arb players are grossly underpaid. Judge at less than $700,000 is one of the best bangs for the buck in baseball. Players make nothing early in their careers, and it used to be that teams made it up on the back end during free agency. That isn’t really the case anymore. The MLBPA should push for increased pay for players with 0-6 years of service time. I’m not sure increased spending on free agency is realistic in the analytics era.

The Yankees have already signed Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks long-term this spring, and reports indicate they’re talking extensions with others as well. Impending free agents Dellin Betances and Didi Gregorius are presumably the top priorities. Judge and Sanchez are in their final dirt cheap pre-arb season, so I’d assume the Yankees will talk to them about an extension at some point. They might enjoy the huge six-figure production in 2019 first.

Filed Under: Transactions Tagged With: Aaron Judge, Albert Abreu, Ben Heller, Chad Green, Chance Adams, Clint Frazier, Domingo Acevedo, Domingo German, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Joe Harvey, Jonathan Holder, Jonathan Loaisiga, Jordan Montgomery, Kyle Higashioka, Luis Cessa, Miguel Andujar, Stephen Tarpley, Thairo Estrada, Tyler Voit, Tyler Wade

Prospect Profile: Joe Harvey

February 7, 2019 by Derek Albin

(Matt Bufano/Pinstriped Prospects)

Background

Harvey, 27, grew up near Philadelphia and attended Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic School in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Prior to his senior year (2010), he was named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game Pre-Season Atlantic Region High School Senior second team. It was a nice honor, but by not being named to the first team, he wasn’t a draft prospect. So, it was off to the University of Pittsburgh.

After redshirting in his freshman year, Harvey joined the Panthers’ bullpen. He was mediocre in his sophomore and junior years, but blossomed as a senior. After struggling with his control (35 walks in 60 innings), Harvey took a step forward in his senior season. Preceding his senior year, though, was a trip to the Cape Cod League, where Harvey threw six innings of one run ball. Though not enough exposure to make anyone really notice, it was a precursor for his final college season.

Everything came together for Harvey in his last year at Pitt. Rather than pitch exclusively in relief, Harvey got most of his work as a starter. In 15 games (12 starts), the righty tossed 71 innings with a 2.90 ERA. His biggest improvement was his control: he walked only 16 batters, good for a BB/9 just north of 2. This performance got him to the very back end of Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospects in 2014. The Yankees popped him in the 19th round of the 2014 draft.

Pro Career

Harvey signed for $60,000 and reported to rookie ball for a two-game tuneup before heading to Staten Island to finish his first pro season. From day one with the Yankees, Harvey was no longer a starter. His organizational debut was excellent (20.2 IP, 19 Ks, 5 BBs, 1.74 ERA). It was a solid beginning in advance of what was supposed to be his first full season in 2015. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery changed things. After a couple of months in Charleston to start 2015, his season was over.

Upon return, Harvey excelled. After a few rehab appearances in the GCL, he finished 2016 in Staten Island and recorded his highest strikeout rate (29.1%) of his young career. In 2017, he got off to a late start for reasons that are unclear (injury or extended spring training, most likely). Once back into game action, he dominated, this time with High-A Tampa. Around a short DL stint midseason, he recorded a microscopic 1.05 ERA and 29.3% strikeout rate. That winter, he was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft but the Yankees didn’t protect him. Despite the strong performance, Harvey was an afterthought at the time as a former 19th rounder with a recent Tommy John surgery, so there wasn’t much concern he’d be taken.

No team selected Harvey in the Rule 5 Draft, as expected. He started 2018 with Double-A Trenton, but was promptly bumped up to Triple-A in late April for good. The righty became a key cog in Scranton’s bullpen and completed his first full professional season without interruption. In 59.1 innings last year, Harvey pitched to a 1.67 ERA while punching out 29.1% of hitters. In the Triple-A playoffs, he held opponents scoreless in four appearances. The Yankees added Harvey to the 40-man roster just a couple of weeks after season’s end. It was a somewhat surprising addition, but it’s hard to argue against his performance.

Scouting Report

Harvey has three pitches in his arsenal, though one stands out above the rest. His mid-90s fastball has a high spin rate that the Yankees adore. His curveball is a work in progress and has been a focal point of his offseason, as he told Pinstriped Prospects:

“I’m trying to get more consistent with my off-speed pitches, very confident in my ability to get people out but if there’s one thing you need to get into the big leagues, it’s a consistent breaking ball so I’m really just trying to work on that.”

Mike also noted that Harvey throws “something resembling a changeup”.

Like so many relievers, control is not one of Harvey’s strengths. His career minor league walk rate of 10.7% won’t fly in the majors unless he’s the next Dellin Betances. The odds of him being the next Betances are slim, to say the least.

Harvey is a well built 6’2″ and 220 pounds. He has a little bit of a Tommy Kahnle look on the mound, who’s of similar stature (6’1″, 235 lbs). From a stuff perspective, he reminds me of Chad Green. That’s a lofty and certainly unfair comp, but their repertoires are quite similar. Both have high spin rates on their mid-90s heaters and have questionable breaking pitches.

2019 Outlook

Projection systems don’t think much of Harvey at this point. PECOTA pegs him for a 5.26 ERA while Steamer is a bit more optimistic at 4.60. These poor forecasts aren’t a big deal though. Barring a plethora of injuries, Harvey isn’t going to have much of a role on this year’s big league squad given the Yankees’ current bullpen. Plus, Harvey will have to compete with other 40-man relievers likely destined for Scranton, such as Stephen Tarpley and Ben Heller.

In all likelihood, Harvey will ride the Scranton shuttle back and forth a handful of times this season, rotating with the Hellers and Tarpleys of the world as needed. He should see some time during expanded rosters in September, too. Otherwise, he should be one of the RailRiders’ go-to late inning relievers.

My Take

Harvey doesn’t excite me. Despite his minor league track record, it seems like hard throwing right-handed relievers are a dime-a-dozen nowadays. If he had a wipeout slider or curve, it’d be a different story. He’s undoubtedly a nice depth arm that can be plucked from Triple-A as needed, but I would be surprised if he amounts to much more than a middle innings guy. Maybe he can ride his fastball to success in the way Green has, but that remains to be seen.

Filed Under: Prospect Profiles Tagged With: Joe Harvey

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