Harvey's Innings Limit

Matt Harvey, who was on schedule to pitch tonight for the Mets, will be skipped for a few reasons. For the past few starts he has been pitching with a blister on his right hand. When I first heard about this I got a little bit more worried than most people normally would. I mean yeah it's just a blister on his hand, but if he pitches with it, there is always a decent chance that he would change his delivery, which is the last thing Matt Harvey wants to do. He has one of, if not the smoothest, cleanest deliveries in all of the MLB. I don't want him changing things and experimenting because of a stupid blister on his hand. This man's arm is worth $100 million+ and there is no reason to put that at risk. Then there's the fact that Harvey NEEDS to start the All Star Game. It would be so cool for Harvey to start the game at Citi. The fans want it so badly and I think that TC understands and us die-hard Mets fans understand that this is not the year yet. It's almost here, but it's not yet. They're not going to be a playoff team, so why not skip Harvey and let him start the All Star Game for the fans. It's what the fans really want to see. The most important reason though, is that Matt Harvey needs to be on an innings limit. At the rate he is on, he would pitch way more innings than he ever has in his entire life. There is no reason to risk this kid's arm. Sandy Alderson is brilliant for having the rule that their young pitchers only increase their innings by 30 or so each year. At the pace he is currently at he would throw around 240, which the Mets will not allow him to do this early in his career, nor should they. So instead of just shutting him down completely in September, it would be much smarter to skip a start here and there. Which is why he is being skipped tonight. Skipping a start every now and then is much better and more effective in my opinion than shutting someone down completely in the beginning or middle of September. This is also the perfect time for Harvey to miss a start. Obviously it would be awesome for him to start the All Star Game, which I think it is a lock that he will. Also, with this blister, it just wouldn't be smart to risk him changing his mechanics and messing up his delivery. That's just asking for an injury. So the Mets are making a really smart move skipping Harvey tonight.