The Gamers vs. The Gifted: Schwinden vs. Harvey

I want everyone to take a wild guess who is gonna win this. Go ahead.

Full Name: Christopher Schwinden

Born: 09/22/1986

Birthplace: Visalia, CA

College: Fresno Pacific

Height: 6' 3"

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Chris Schwinden was basically a huge 2011 surprise for me and most Met fans. He was never "Bad" but he was also not supposed to be THIS good. let alone this good at AAA.

The nice thing to see with Schwinden is that he does have some "Stuff" to go along with his command. I'm not sure... but he might actually be better than Dillon Gee in terms of "Gifted-ness" He'll have a shot of winning a rotation spot with the Mets. Though... depending on who they sign he might have a lot or only a little competition. If he's a starter... he'd better prove it quick with Harvey, Familia and Mejia looming.

Schwinden's Scouting Report:

What Schwinden lacks in overall power and velocity, he makes up for with movement and command. His fastball usually falls between 90-92 MPH and he uses his control of the pitch to take control of the count. His go-to secondary pitch is a changeup that sits in the 80-84 range. He also shows a slider and a curveball. The slider is a solid pitch he can command but the "swing and miss" pitch is the curve.

Full Name: Matthew Harvey

Born: 03/27/1989

Birthplace: New London, CT

College: North Carolina

Height: 6' 4"

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Right... so before the season I was annoyed at how highly everyone rated Matt Harvey. He hadn't pitched a single frame for a professional team and he was suddenly better than guys who HAD been pitching... and pitching pretty well.

Then... he exploded onto the scene in Port St. Lucie and I kinda got a bit too excited about him. I realized the Mets would put him on the "Fast-Track" and that he had the potential to be an Ace.

Then... he got to Binghamton and came back to earth. My expectations of his ceiling didn't diminish but I was no longer dreaming of a 2012 debut.

Then... he finished the year strong and I began to wonder if Harvey was indeed going to have an outside shot of impacting the 2012 ball club. Also... I wondered if I might be bi-polar.

My actual prediction for Harvey's 2012 is pretty tame. He'll start the year in AA... follow Familia to AAA and... if the Mets are "In It" see only a taste of the bigs. If the Mets drop out of the race I could see him getting more than a taste.

Harvey's Scouting Report:

MECHANICS

Harvey generates mid-90s velocity from a high three-quarters release point with relative ease. Plagued by mechanical inconsistency as a sophomore, Harvey now operates with a simpler and better-paced motion. Previously, he would rush toward home plate with a forceful stride, causing his arm to play “catch-up”, which produced varying release points and a cross-body finish. This season, he has shown more consistency in getting his pitching arm-side forearm to a vertical position as his glove-side foot lands. As a result, he has eliminated that cross-body action, increased his hip-shoulder separation, and improved his tempo, which explains why he is now pitching with the best velocity and fastball command since he arrived on campus. He has a tendency to pull his shoulder out as he swings his arm into the high-cocked position, making it more difficult than necessary to repeat his arm path, but suggesting that he could improve his command still further. The adjustments Harvey has made to this point are a testament to his work ethic and aptitude, which have been questioned in the past.

PITCH REPERTOIRE
MECHANICS

Harvey generates mid-90s velocity from a high three-quarters release point with relative ease. Plagued by mechanical inconsistency as a sophomore, Harvey now operates with a simpler and better-paced motion. Previously, he would rush toward home plate with a forceful stride, causing his arm to play “catch-up”, which produced varying release points and a cross-body finish. This season, he has shown more consistency in getting his pitching arm-side forearm to a vertical position as his glove-side foot lands. As a result, he has eliminated that cross-body action, increased his hip-shoulder separation, and improved his tempo, which explains why he is now pitching with the best velocity and fastball command since he arrived on campus. He has a tendency to pull his shoulder out as he swings his arm into the high-cocked position, making it more difficult than necessary to repeat his arm path, but suggesting that he could improve his command still further. The adjustments Harvey has made to this point are a testament to his work ethic and aptitude, which have been questioned in the past.

PITCH REPERTOIRE

Harvey’s four-seam fastball sits in the 92-96 mph range and touches 98, but has proven very hittable over his college career because it lacks for life. This prompted he and pitching coach Scott Forbes to develop a two-seam fastball this spring, a heavy ball that arrives at 91-93 which he keeps in the lower-third of the zone. Harvey has relied on his two-seamer often – particularly late in games – to consistently generate weak contact and limit his pitch count, which helps explain why he has pitched deeper into games with greater frequency this season. His breaking pitch of choice is his slider, which comes in at 83-85 and flashes plus right now. The pitch gets good rotation and tilt when thrown well, but it will occasionally flatten out and give the appearance of a slow cutter. He has lost the feel for his power curveball, which had plus potential coming out of high school as a third-round pick of the Angels in 2007, often failing to stay on top of it and hanging way up in the zone. But he has previously demonstrated the requisite hand speed to spin a good one, so this degradation should just be temporary. Harvey exhibits feel for a changeup, a 79-83 offering with some tumble, although his motion is noticeably more deliberate from a side view.

Duh... Matt Harvey wins but keep in mind that Harvey needs to have another good year before the Mets will throw him into the mix for a starting job. Schwinden is already under consideration.