First Prospect Up?

MATT HARVEY - SP
2011 Minor League stats - 13 W, 5 L, 3.32 ERA, 156 KO, 47 BB

The Mets have three top, solid pitching prospects in the minor leagues and the most familiar name of the three belongs to right hander Matt Harvey.  Drafted out of UNC in 2010, Harvey had a very strong showing last season in the lower ranks.  After blowing away competition in St. Lucie A ball, Harvey moved up to AA Binghamton and did struggle a bit.  This was to be expected as he faced better competition and hitters with more patience.  But he managed his way through the turmoil and finished the season with five straight wins.

Harvey is a power pitcher who also has three other pitches at his disposal.  Since him being drafted, there have been many a folk expecting him to be a front of the rotation pitcher for New York.  The organization has done and is saying all of the right things so far about Harvey.  They invited him to the big league camp for Spring Training but fully intend on having him start the season in Binghamton again. They do not want to rush him to the majors and have him exposed to early.  But, Harvey is turning 23 years old this month and does have a full collegiate career's worth of experience, so one would think that he'll be able to handle any work load.

The main consensus from certain media personnel and fans is that it's not a matter of if Harvey will make it to the bigs in 2012, but when.  Again, the Mets will do their best to keep in the minors for a few months, but between the possibility of injuries or lack of performance, the trip to Queens may be expedited for this young pitcher.