A metaphorical baton handoff occurred in 2011-🍸12 in whi🐼ch Phil Hughes’ warranty expired as the next big pitching thing in New York and Matt Harvey took over.
They were like ships passing in the Dark Knight.
But their careers actually have many parallels. Both enjoyed high highs (one💛 All-Star Game each), but never totally fulfilled phenom expectations as their last three seasons in New York ebbed mainly between bad and worse, both often derailed by injury.
The duo underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgeries 11 days apart in 2016 – in fact, The Post’s Kevin Kernan reported this past spring Harvey contacted Hughes (by then a Twin) to ask what🅷 to expect from the procedure. And this month they were designated🍸 for assignment 17 days apart.
Perhaps this time Hughes could learn from Harvey.
For the insta-analysis was that Cincinnati 💮was a horrible relocation for Harve🔯y – bad team, small home park, lousy party town.
Butꦰ an AL executive observed that a club trying to win isꦑ the worst locale for a pitcher after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) – and Hughes had a second procedure in 2017.
Because following Tommy John surgery, a pitcher is essentially rehabbing toward his old self – and Harvey a💮ctually did that fairly well upon his return in 2015. But when it comes to TOS surgery, reinvention is needed. Veไlocity generally drops, so greater focus is needed on repertoire, location and sequencing. Time is needed, and a winning team is less comfortable with providing the open lab and time.
“Phil’s been through a difficult stretch of injuries over the last couple of years,” Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey wrote in a text. “I don’t think anyone but the player knows how much a toll that takes on his game. I believe if he can get to throwing more consistently for a longer stretch — something we just couldn’t find the opportunity to do while competing — and regains some of that stuff and feel he certainly has the command to impact a Major League game. I know I’m personally pulling for him.”
Mets officials thought Harv𓆏ey was transitioning well in spring, but then this season began and the righty often reverted to old tactics. The Mets felt for on-and off-field reasons that Harvey would never fully adapt in the🍎ir uniform, and at a time when they were trying to win they believed they could not continue to see if he could.
On the day Harvey was designated, his agent, Scott Boras, told me the most important element for Harvey was to get out of the bullpen (where he had fallen with the Mets) and to a team where🌺 he could start and work on four pitches, not two. The Reds – with all the downsides – offe🔜red Harvey that opportunity.
He went four innings in each of his first two starts and then on Tuesday had his best outing yet, holding the Pirates to one run in six innings. Harvey used all four of his pitches (though his curve only five ti👍mes) and actually averaged 94.8 mph with his fastball (maxing at 97ꩵ.2). He has a 2.57 ERA as a Red.
Hughes, like Harvey, had fallen into the Twin bullpen and just wasn’t getting regular work. The Twins wanted to go from 13 to 12 pitchers and Hughes was designated – despite being owed roughly $20 million through next year♌.
So, can Hughes also hook on in a less-pressurized realm to work on his craft? He alr﷽eady has been linked to the Tigers because their bullpen coach, Rick Anderson, was Hughes’ pitching coach with the Twins in 2013-14. That second season Hughes set the MLB record for best strikeout-to-walk ratio, and afterward got the first of two three-year deals from Minnesota.
Yet, despite the money owed the Twins did not want to keep the lab open for Hughes any longer. Not while trying to win. So, like Harvey, a one-time New York pitching phenom will trꦅy to reinvent himself elsewhere.