Matt Harvey: If Not Now, When?

So the Mets have an opening in their starting rotation that they plan to fill with Miguel Batista, or possibly Jeremy Hefner, or maybe even Chris Schwinden. Haven’t we seen this show before and not been happy with the results? Now is the time to bring up Matt Harvey. If not now, when?

However by all accounts it appears the Mets have no inclination to make the call, saying they don’t want to rush their prospects. That makes sense, but at some point you have to bring them up to test the major league waters. So I ask again, if not now, when?

Harvey is doing well in Buffalo, with a 7-4 record and a 3.39 ERA. He has 102 strikeouts in 98 innings. Seems ready to his manager, in any case.

“He’ll take a lump or two if they call him up,” Wally Backman told the Daily News. “But his fastball command is much improved. He can help them.”

The Mets can get a two-fold benefit by bringing up Harvey now. The most obvious, of course, is that if he succeeds they have another strong young starter. Plus, it sets up things for next season. Harvey would be an established member of the rotation rather than a question mark.

This would also give Sandy Alderson more flexibility to improve the team. Let’s say he gets a really good offer in the off season for one of his other starters — knowing Harvey is ready would enable Alderson to pull the trigger. If Harvey goes into spring training as an untested rookie, Alderson might be apprehensive to deal a starter; after all, what if Harvey didn’t work out?

There is always a chance a minor leaguer will fail in the majors, but they have to be given a shot at some point. At the risk of repeating myself —  if not now, when?