“Pissed Off” Matt Harvey Should Use Bullpen Assignment As Chance To Reinvent Himself

After emphatically declaring that he was a starting pitcher after a disastrous outing in Atlanta last Thursday, Matt Harvey made it clear he wouldn’t be happy with a move to the bullpen. That is exactly what happened as the Mets announced over the weekend that their one time ace is now going to work out of the pen with Jason Vargas set to rejoin the rotation in San Diego this weekend. Harvey was predictably “pissed off”, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports, but this assignment should serve as a wake up call to the one time Dark Knight.

The Mets broke the news to Harvey on Saturday, but according to Ackert they never discussed asking him to accept a minor league assignment. Manager Mickey Callaway and pitching coach Dave Eiland believe that Harvey can work out his issues in the bullpen, and they have experience with pitchers doing just that. While Callaway was the pitching coach with the Cleveland Indians, the team demoted Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to the bullpen when they were struggling. Both eventually earned their way back into the starting rotation. The same situation happened for Eiland in Kansas City with lefty Danny Duffy, who has since emerged as an ace level pitcher for the Royals.

Callaway pointed out that the difference between starting and relieving all comes down to mentality. As a starter, the pitcher has to worry about how he will face a batter both now and later in the game, perhaps devoting a bit too much mental attention to the mind game of the sport. Relievers don’t have that luxury since they are only pitching an inning or two a night, forcing them to focus on executing their pitches while they are on the mound. This kind of situation could force Harvey to worry about simply throwing strikes and getting outs, setting him up for success if he does return to the rotation eventually.

Harvey doesn’t have to like the demotion to the bullpen, and he frankly shouldn’t, but the results simply haven’t been there to justify keeping him in the rotation. The new regime has been all about accountability, and moving Harvey to the bullpen fits that narrative to a T. Harvey can be pissed off at himself for losing his rotation spot, but instead of sulking about it he should rise to the challenge of being a reliever. The fastest way back into the rotation will be through pitching well, and both Callaway and Eiland have experience putting a starter in the bullpen and bringing them back again. Harvey should trust the process and simply worry about executing, because if he does the opportunity to start will come again.