The San Francisco Giants have claimed right-handed pitcher Hunter Harvey off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The promising 26-year-old again dealt with health problems in 2021, pitching just 18 2/3 innings across the Triple-A and major league levels.
When healthy, the 2013 first-rounder has shown significant promise, posting a 3.42 ERA across 23 2/3 career big league innings. The hard-throwing righty missed a good deal of the 2021 season, landing on the 60-day IL with an oblique strain ahead of Opening Day, and managed just 8 2/3 innings (in nine appearances) in the bigs after a June return. Harvey’s 2021 line matched his 2020 numbers almost exactly, as he pitched to 4.15 ERA in both across the same number of innings. A fixture on mid-2010s top-prospect lists, Harvey apparently ran out of runway in Baltimore, which will likely use his spot on their 40-man roster to protect a prospect otherwise vulnerable to the Rule 5 draft.
Harvey’s own frustrations with his inability to stay healthy have been documented, but the Giants may have unearthed a gem if they can keep him healthy. Although his minor league numbers are hardly sparkling, Harvey’s upper-90s fastball and solid command (3.1 BB/9 across all levels) could still play in the bullpen. As Harvey is still a year away from arbitration eligibility, the move represents a pure upside play for the Giants, who already boasted an MLB-best 2.99 bullpen ERA in 2021. Should he prove himself capable of avoiding the IL, there’s no reason he can’t contribute in 2022.
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