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College  | Story | 3/3/2010

Former HS mates Harvey, Hahn attract scouts

Jeff Simpson
CHAPEL HILL,N.C. – Heading into the spring of 2007, the two most talked-about high school pitching prospects in the country were New Jersey righthander Rick Porcello and Connecticut righthander Matt Harvey.

Fast-forward three years and Porcello, 21, is coming off a strong rookie season with the Detroit Tigers, in which he won 14 games and finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Harvey, on the other hand, has taken over the Friday starting job for North Carolina, fresh off its fourth consecutive trip to the College World Series.

Both players may have ended up as Tar Heels had the Tigers not gambled a late first-round pick on the supposedly unsignable Porcello, who agreed to a record-tying $7 million major-league deal at the 2007 signing deadline. His career has blossomed and Porcello is considered among the game’s elite young pitching prospects. Harvey was expected to have the same impact at the college level.

Not only did the career paths of the two big pitchers take different directions when Porcello elected to sign with the Tigers and Harvey chose to pass on a third-round offer from the Los Angeles Angels, but Harvey has struggled to match Porcello’s accomplishments, even as he assumes the Friday role for UNC this spring. In two seasons with the Tar Heels, Harvey is a combined 14-4,4.22 with 89 walks and 161 strikeouts in 143 innings, hardly dominating numbers, and scouts have openly questioned his prospect status.

With the 2010 draft at hand, and Harvey no longer a certainty of even being drafted in the first round, we can essentially put the comparisons between Harvey and Porcello to rest.

The more apt comparison this spring for Harvey is 6-foot-5 Virginia Tech righthander Jesse Hahn, who coincidentally was his high school teammate, both in baseball and basketball, at Fitch High in Mystic, Conn.

Harvey was the much higher-profile pitcher of the two at the time and set school career records for wins (21), ERA (1.08) and strikeouts (315). But Hahn was no slouch, either, and set a school single-season mark as a senior with a 0.18ERA.

Hahn, though, was clearly overshadowed then by Harvey, who threw in themid-90s and would have been a near-certain first-round pick in 2007 had he not been so heavily committed to attending college. Hahn topped out at 90. Though Harvey slipped to the third round of that year’s draft, Hahn was passed over altogether, paving his way to attend Virginia Tech.

Three years later, it’s Hahn who has been the focus of the scouting community.
In his first start of the 2010 season, Feb. 21 in Conway, S.C., against West Virginia, Hahn attracted 10 scouting directors and upwards of 60 scouts in all. Though Harvey still has first-round aspirations, he didn’t attract nearly the same following from scouts when he made his second start of the season last Friday against Maine. This writer attended both games.

With the college baseball season less than two weeks old, the opportunity to see two of the nation’s top pitching prospects in action was a nice treat. The fact that they attended high school together obviously links them, but the similarities between Harvey and Hahn don’t end there.

Both the 6-4, 225-pound Harvey and the 6-5, 200-pound Hahn have the type of athletic, projectable frames you look for in elite pitching prospects and have an arsenal of power stuff, to boot.

The opening weekend of the 2010 college season saw a strong contingent of teams converge on Conway for the Caravelle Resort Tournament, hosted by nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Kentucky, all with at least one significant prospect for the 2010 draft, drew a huge contingent of scouts. But Hahn was clearly the player that garnered the most attention.

Hahn pitched on Sunday, the final day of the three-day event. He was very impressive in his debut as he threw seven scoreless innings in a 14-3 rout of West Virginia. He allowed just five hits while striking out four and walking none. Hahn’s velocity was impressive for his first outing of the year as he sat consistently in the 92-94 mph range, topping out at 96. He also showed the makings of a potential average to above-average curveball, as well as a quality changeup.

One area of marked improvement for Hahn was his command, and he has walked just one batter though his first 14 innings this season. His delivery was easy and there is plenty of reason to think there is more velocity left in him, though he may pace himself more as a starter. He was used only in a short role last summer in the Cape Cod League and his fastball peaked at 98mph, best in the league. So he has a track record of reaching the high-90s.

Identifying an optimum role for Hahn at the next level is open to question, but he at least showed the ability to become a solid No. 3starter. He also did little to change the perception that he’ll be one of the first 10 players drafted in June. PG Crosschecker ranked him No. 6 overall to start the season.

With an opportunity to see Hahn pitch on the first weekend, it was only logical to take in Harvey’s game in Chapel Hill five days later against Maine.

Despite his high-profile status since his high school days, questions have surrounded Harvey during the last year because of his arm action and delivery. They came to ahead last summer in the Cape Cod League, when Harvey pitched on the same Chatham team as Hahn and came out a decided second-best among scouts.
They openly questioned Harvey’s mechanics, particularly his tendency to get out front too much on his delivery. But some scouts also expressed the concern that his deliberate, one-piece arm action had not only caused him to regress but might even be irreversible, and might significantly impact his prospect status down the road. His 0-2, 7.04record in his three starts, and velocity that fluctuated from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, provided compelling evidence.

Given that unflattering scouting report, Harvey was considered a long shot on the eve of the 2010 season to be drafted in the first round. But it was evident in Harvey’s second outing this season that he had gone back to the drawing board, that both his delivery and arm action were much cleaner and more natural as compared to a year ago.

Harvey’s fastball velocity was very impressive for a nearly-season outing. He sat in the 93-96 mph range and topped out at 97 on three different occasions. His best off-speed pitch was a tight, low-80s slider that showed potential average to above-average life. He also threw a high-70scurveball, though the pitch lacked the life of his slider and might be a pitch that he shelves at the next level. His changeup also showed average life, but he will need to work hard on maintaining his arm speed throughout his delivery.

On the basis of the one outing, it obviously would be a mistake for clubs not to consider Harvey in the first-round mix for this year’s draft. He clearly has made some adjustments from a year ago, though he’ll have to prove himself time and again this spring to become a legit first-round talent.

While Harvey has always been a starter, he has the stuff to profile well at the back of the bullpen, and that might be an option teams will consider.

With more than 15,000 high schools in the country, it is extremely rare for one to produce a first-round pick, much less two players from the same class, particularly a small school in rural eastern Connecticut. But it could happen with Hahn and Harvey.

Despite the enormous potential of both, a track record of consistency is something that has been lacking.

Harvey has the most-heralded prep recruit in the country when he began college at North Carolina as a freshman. He lived up to expectations initially, but his sophomore year was a different story as he struggled with his command, and his velocity was all over the place. Hahn didn’t particularly distinguish himself, either, as a sophomore at Virginia Tech with a 1-2, 6.00 record in 17 appearances (one start), but his stock took off with a dynamite season in the Cape Cod League last summer, just as Harvey’s regressed.

It will be interesting to see where the two former high-school teammates land in this year’s draft, and scouts will get a chance to see them go head-to-head when North Carolina and Virginia Tech meet May 20-22 on the last weekend of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season.
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