Harvey optioned to Double-A; Mesa designated
SARASOTA, FLA. — Hunter Harvey, the Orioles’ top pitching prospect, arrived at Ed Smith Stadium on Wednesday expecting to travel to Tampa to face the New York Yankees in a showcase start that could have resulted in him earning a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Instead, because the Orioles signed right-hander Alex Cobb to a four-year deal to slot into their rotation as a fifth proven major league starter, and they have more pressing evaluation needs for the likes of Miguel Castro and Rule 5 draft pick Nestor Cortes Jr., Harvey was optioned to Double-A Bowie instead of making that start.
Harvey was saying his goodbyes before the Orioles stretched, and the consensus from many of the major leaguers remaining was that they’d be seeing him soon. The message in his meeting from managerBuck Showalter was a positive one, he said.
“It’s nothing bad,” Harvey said Wednesday after getting the news. “It was positive. I wouldn’t say it was bad. We got Cobb coming in, so it makes sense. I know my role, and what I need to do.”
His charge to this point in camp was to go out and pitch well, which he had, to the tune of a 3.86 ERA in three starts. After pitching in a minor league game last week, Harvey was scheduled to face a first-choice Yankees lineup in what was seen as a test on a lot of levels. That he was making it at all strongly suggested he was in the mix for the fifth starter job along with Mike Wright Jr., Castro and Cortes. In terms of raw talent, Harvey might have been leading at this juncture in camp.
Cobb’s signing seemed to have as many indirect impacts on him as direct ones. Sure, he’s another starter, but his presence means the Orioles might have to make a tougher decision on a pitcher further down the roster, making Harvey’s inclusion on the Opening Day roster more problematic.
“I can’t really say much about that,” Harvey said. “It’s their choice. I thought I’d come in with a good case, and what happens, happens.” Today, 1:05 p.m. TV: MASN Radio: 105.7 FM Mesa designated: To make room for Cobb on the organization’s 40-man roster, the Orioles designated José Mesa for assignment. Mesa, one of three pitchers the Orioles selected in the Rule 5 draft, had a 5.87 ERA in 72⁄ exhibition innings. As a Rule 5 pick, Mesa must be offered back to the Yankees, the team he was drafted from, if he clears waivers. Orioles win award: The Baseball Assistance Team, a charity that assists current and former baseball players and their families to the tune of $38 million in awards to over 3,900 members of the baseball community, awarded the Orioles this year’s 2018 Bobby Murcer Award. Each year, B.A.T. goes on a spring training fundraising tourand the Murcer Award is given to the team in each league whose players and staff pledge to contribute the most during that trip.