O’s Matt Harvey has got to go | READER COMMENTARY

The Baltimore Sun recently printed a glowing article on Orioles’ pitcher Matt Harvey. It was baffling how positive the article presented Mr. Harvey’s year, considering his pitching statistics (”Veteran Matt Harvey keeps giving the Orioles ‘bonus’ starts. Soon, he might give up his rotation spot to a rookie,” Sept. 8).

Ranked by earned run average, there are 108 pitchers to date who have logged more than 100 innings in Major League Baseball this year, according to my research. Matt Harvey is in 108th place — last place.

Mr. Harvey’s current ERA is 6.28 per game, which mean he gives up over six runs per nine innings. Any team would have difficulty overcoming that performance from a starter and it certainly contributed to the Orioles having the worst record in baseball.

Every pitcher has bad luck, and using luck to mitigate his dreadful season is a weak argument. He is the worst pitcher in the league with 100 innings or more. There is no way to sugarcoat it. He ate 123 innings to date, which is his only claim to fame this season while posting 14 losses against 6 wins.

If anyone thinks Mr. Harvey’s performance is worth a million dollars (his current salary) or it justifies re-signing him to the team in 2022, they are misguided.

The argument that he has been a great mentor is hollow as well. Having a mentor on the staff is great as long as the mentor is leading by example and winning games. Coaches and managers are paid to give advice, not players. Pitchers are paid to win and Matt Harvey simply did not win.

It would be a mistake to bring Matt Harvey back next year.

Dudley Thompson, Girdletree

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