Highlighted Year: Bryan Harvey, 1993

Pitcher, Florida Marlins

Age:  30 (June 2)

1^st season with Marlins

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 205 

Prior to 1993:

Growing up in North Carolina, Harvey was a star pitcher at Bandys High School. Moving on to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the hard-throwing freshman led the team in strikeouts in 1982 with 52. In 1984, on the basis of an impressive semipro appearance, he gained a tryout with the California Angels and received a $2500 bonus to sign with the club. Starting out as primarily a reliever with Quad Cities of the Class A Midwest League in 1985, he appeared in 30 games (7 of them starts) and produced a 5-6 record with a 3.53 ERA, 4 saves, and 111 strikeouts over 81.2 innings. While developing a split-fingered fastball, which would become his most effective pitch, Harvey moved on to Palm Springs of the Class A California League in 1987 where, utilized exclusively out of the bullpen, he made 43 appearances and posted a 3-4 tally with 15 saves, a 2.68 ERA, and 68 strikeouts over 57 innings. He spent 1987 with Midland of the Class AA Texas League where he pitched in 43 games and went 2-2 with 20 saves, a 2.04 ERA, and 78 strikeouts over 53 innings. Harvey also appeared in three games with the Angels and gave up no runs in three relief appearances. Pitching in the Puerto Rican League in the offseason, he had an exceptional performance recording 18 saves for San Juan. He started off in 1988 with Edmonton of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League but was called up to the Angels in April and went on to take over the closer role in the bullpen and put together an excellent rookie season. In 50 appearances he produced a 7-5 record with 17 saves, a 2.13 ERA, and 67 strikeouts over 76 innings. Harvey struggled with his control in 1989 but also benefited from having better setup support in the bullpen on his way to posting 25 saves and a 3-3 tally along with a 3.44 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 55 innings. His performance was better in 1990 with 25 saves and a 4-4 record in 54 appearances along with a 3.22 ERA and 82 strikeouts over 64.1 innings. Harvey followed up in 1991 by leading the AL with 46 saves in 67 appearances while striking out 101 batters and walking only 17. He was an All-Star for the first time and received AL Rolaids Reliever of the Year recognition. A strained elbow that required surgery limited Harvey to 25 games in 1992 and 13 saves with a 2.83 ERA. The Angels chose to expose him in the expansion draft and the Marlins selected him.

1993 Season Summary

Appeared in 59 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 59

Games Started – 0

Games Finished – 54 [6]

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 1

Losses – 5

PCT - .167

Saves – 45 [3]

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 69

Hits – 45

Runs – 14

Earned Runs – 13

Home Runs – 4

Bases on Balls – 13

Strikeouts – 73

ERA – 1.70 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 0

Balks – 1

Wild Pitches – 0

Midseason Snapshot: 1-2, ERA - 1.63, G – 33, SV – 25, SO – 47 in 38.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 4 (in 1.1 IP) vs. Cincinnati 5/4, (in 1.2 IP) vs. Philadelphia 8/6

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fielding

Chances – 8

Put Outs – 3

Assists – 5

Errors – 0

DP – 0

Pct. - 1.000

Awards & Honors:

All-Star

8^th in NL Cy Young voting, tied with Randy Myers, ChiC. (1 point, 1% share)

14^th in NL MVP voting (14 points, 4% share)

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In their inaugural season, the Marlins went 64-98 to finish sixth in the NL Eastern Division, 33 games behind the division-winning Philadelphia Phillies. The pitching staff led the league in fewest complete games (4, tied with the San Francisco Giants). The Marlins were nearly at .500 with a 30-31 record on June 13, after a four-game sweep of Pittsburgh. They then dropped 11 of 15 to close out the month. A 4-16 finish to the season solidified their hold on sixth place. They drew 3,064,847 fans to Joe Robbie Stadium. Harvey was involved in 71.8 % of the club’s wins.

Aftermath of 1993:

Afflicted by elbow problems and season-ending abdominal surgery during the strike-shortened 1994 season, Harvey was limited to 12 appearances and 6 saves. He made one appearance in 1995 in which he reinjured his elbow, and following reconstructive surgery, departed the Marlins in the offseason. Signed by the Angels in 1996, he was inactive all season, thus ending his career. For his major league career, Harvey pitched in 322 games, all as a reliever, and posted a 17-25 record with 177 saves, a 2.49 ERA, and 448 strikeouts over 387 innings. After his playing career, he coached in several organizations. His son Hunter has been a major league relief pitcher, primarily with the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.  

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20), pitching wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10), or have been participants in the annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category will also include Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.