I don’t remember Bryan Harvey, but then again, I was an offense-focused kid in elementary school for much of his career. Too bad, as Harvey was one of the game’s top closers during his 387 career innings.
Those who followed baseball at much closer level were very much aware of Harvey by 1988 when he finished second in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year. Oakland shortstop Walt Weiss came away with the award, preventing Harvey from becoming the first relief pitcher to ever bring home the honor (Gregg Olson would win ROY the following season).
He nearly won an award, but almost didn’t get to play. By the 1980s the path to the major leagues was becoming more formalized with traveling youth teams, dedicated collegiate programs, and more advanced scouting. He was known locally as an excellent basketball player and briefly attended UNC-Charlotte before returning home, feeling he wasn’t cut out for college. He was soon working moving furniture and replacing tires in North Carolina. A chance opportunity to pitch a game for a local American Legion baseball team led to an Angels scout taking notice and requesting he try out for the team. After demonstrating a consistent mid-90s fastball and excellent control he was quickly signed.
He produced lights-out results for the Angels from 1988-1992. A late season elbow injury ended his tenure in 1992 and the Angels felt it threatened his career. The team left him unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft where he was scooped up by the newly-established Florida Marlins. Harvey bounced back in the Marlins’ inaugural season but suffered another injury in 1994, this time shutting him down for good.
Harvey didn’t accrue much overall playing time and is therefore left out of most conversations about the game’s top relievers. While I agree with not including him in the Hall of Fame due to the brevity of his career and the extent to which HOF-caliber pitchers were able to maintain top performance for extended periods, his skill is apparent when comparisons are made. Below appears Harvey’s numbers against those of each reliever currently in Cooperstown:
| PLAYER | IP | SO/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | OPP. AVG | FIP | FIP- | SAVES | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Smith | 1,289.1 | 8.73 | 3.39 | 0.62 | .232 | 2.93 | 74 | 478 | 26.6 |
| Dennis Eckersley | 3,285.1 | 6.58 | 2.02 | 0.95 | .242 | 3.40 | 85 | 390 | 61.8 |
| Mariano Rivera | 1,283.2 | 8.22 | 2.01 | 0.50 | .209 | 2.76 | 62 | 652 | 39.1 |
| Rollie Fingers | 1,701.1 | 6.87 | 2.60 | 0.65 | .230 | 2.96 | 81 | 341 | 27.4 |
| Bruce Sutter | 1,042.1 | 7.43 | 2.67 | 0.66 | .224 | 2.94 | 80 | 300 | 19.2 |
| Rich Gossage | 1,809.1 | 7.47 | 3.64 | 0.59 | .223 | 3.18 | 84 | 310 | 31.1 |
| Trevor Hoffmann | 1,089.1 | 9.36 | 2.54 | 0.83 | .208 | 3.08 | 73 | 601 | 25.9 |
| Bryan Harvey | 387 | 10.42 | 3.35 | 0.70 | .194 | 2.63 | 67 | 177 | 10.5 |
Compared to the Hall of Fame bullpen, Harvey boasts the leading strikeout rate, lowest opponent batting average, and best fielding independent pitching. He compares favorably in most categories in which he is not the leader.
Today Bryan Harvey resides on a cattle ranch in North Carolina. Both his sons have played professional baseball with Hunter Harvey making his MLB debut in 2019.
