Hunter Harvey

To no one's surprise, Harvey once again spent time on the injured list in 2023. Fortunately, he only missed about 4 weeks with a right elbow strain and his health prevailed otherwise. In fact, Harvey turned in his finest season to date with career-high marks across multiple categories, including games played (57), innings (60.2), strikeouts (67), wins (4) and a team-leading 19 holds. His 0.94 WHIP was 7th-best among qualified relievers and he even got a chance to prove himself in the 9th inning with 10 saves. Statistically speaking, the 29-year-old was Washington's best reliever. His 98.3 mph fastball was still the star of his arsenal, but Harvey implemented a slider (14% usage) last season that was particularly effective against right-handed batters (.087 BAA). Health and performance permitting, Harvey has a chance to be called for more save chances in 2024 with Washington looking to take another step forward.

After being waived by the Orioles and Giants, Harvey was claimed by the Nationals last spring. The 2013 first-rounder opened the year in the minors, but was recalled just a few days into the season. The oft-injured Harvey pitched 2.2 innings across four appearances before suffering a right forearm strain. While injuries have wrecked the 28-year-old's career thus far, he managed to return after two-and-a-half months and stay healthy the rest of the season. Harvey recorded 45 innings between the majors and minors, his most in a season since 2019. 39.1 innings came at the big league level, with the right-hander posting a very solid 2.52 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB ratio with two wins and six holds in 38 appearances. Harvey is probably the most talented arm in the Nationals' bullpen and he could factor into the 2023 mix for saves if health prevails.

Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde created a bit of a stir in the spring when he all but named Harvey as the club's closer. Fantasy players saw 11 strikeouts in 6.1 MLB innings in 2019 and got excited, especially since he threw a combined 85 major- and minor-league innings that season. Then reality set in as Harvey experienced a sore elbow during spring camp, sidelining him until Aug. 30. Harvey finished the season unscathed, throwing 8.2 innings over 10 appearances. He didn't close, but Harvey did log four holds. He only notched six strikeouts even though his velocity was just half a tick lower than the prior campaign. Harvey's swinging-strike rate was nearly identical to 2019, with the disparity in punchouts looking like small-sample variance. Harvey has the arsenal to be a high-leverage reliever, but health obviously remains an issue. Taking a shot Harvey stays healthy and closes is justifiable.

Harvey finally had a (mostly) injury-free season, throwing 82 innings, beating the 63.2 frames he threw from 2015 to 2018 combined. Of those 82 innings, 6.1 came in the big-league bullpen, where he allowed just one run while striking out an impressive 11 batters. The bullpen is likely Harvey's long-term home, given both his injury history and his pitching profile, as he has a strong fastball and curveball but a mediocre changeup and shaky command. While that does cap Harvey's upside, the Orioles will be happy to have him healthy and pitching in whatever capacity he can. He could become a fantasy-relevant option if he works his way into the closer conversation. Baltimore lacks a proven bullpen ace, and Harvey seems to have taken to the bullpen well, seeing his strikeout rate jump from 23.7% as a Double-A starter to 31.4% in the Triple-A bullpen and 42.3% in the majors.

Harvey's brief professional career has been marred by injury, causing the 21-year-old to lose his prospect luster. Harvey burst onto the scene in 2014, posting a 106:33 K:BB in 87.2 innings at Low-A Delmarva as a teenager. He missed the entire 2015 campaign due to a right elbow strain, though. Harvey then suffered a groin injury during his return to the mound in the spring of 2016, forcing him to undergo hernia surgery. Harvey subsequently pitched in just five games before exiting with soreness in his right flexor mass. He ultimately needed Tommy John surgery in July, and could miss the entire 2017 campaign as a result. When healthy, Harvey has demonstrated a superb fastball/curveball combo, but he has pitched just 12.2 innings in the minors since the end of 2014. If he can return to health, he will be nearly 23 years of age while having never pitched above Low-A, even if all goes swimmingly in his rehab.

Working his way back from elbow issues in 2014, there was hope in Baltimore's camp that Harvey could help at the MLB level in 2015. That was not the case, as Harvey was hit in the shin by a come-backer in a minor league spring training game. He was targeting a May return, but elbow issues cropped up again. Harvey was diagnosed with a strain of his flexor mass muscle and was shut down. He tried a throwing program in July and August, but was shut down again. When healthy, Harvey has a plus fastball and he mixes it with a curveball. The Orioles say Harvey will be ready for spring training, but there is a major injury red flag after he has tallied just over 100 innings in three professional seasons. If he can stay healthy, it would make sense for Harvey to begin the season at High-A. The optimism for his moving quickly through the system has to be tempered. Thanks to his injury history, there will likely be a strict innings limit for him in 2016.

There are two major bullet points attached to Harvey’s 2014 season. The first is that he was awesome, and pitched himself into the discussion of best young arms in the minor leagues. The second is that he was shut down in late July with a strained flexor mass in his throwing elbow. Baltimore is confident Harvey will avoid surgery, but in addition to preventing the 6-foot-3 righty from possibly getting a taste of High-A before the end of the season, it also leaves a slight cloud hanging over his 2015 outlook. In 87.2 innings at Low-A Delmarva, Harvey posted a 106:33 K:BB ratio and a 3.18 ERA. Assuming he enters camp rested and healthy, Harvey could rise like a rocket through the Orioles’ system. If his changeup can develop into a useful complement to his already plus fastball/curveball combo, Harvey is someone with the ability to finish the year as the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball.

The son of former MLB closer Bryan Harvey signed quickly after the draft and logged a good chunk of innings in the rookie leagues. Harvey more than held his own at both stops, using a fastball that sits in the low-90s (he could reach the mid-90s as he continues to advance), while a curveball and a changeup serve as his secondary pitches, both of which need work. Despite his youth, Harvey seems likely to get a full season at Low-A as a 19-year-old but could become a frontline starter, if everything goes as planned with his development.