Washington – Coming out of the bullpen runs in the family for Hunter Harvey, a reliever for the Nationals.
His father, Bryan, was a two-time all-star in the majors and had 177 saves in nine years in The Show.
Kris Harvey, the brother of Hunter, pitched in the minors for the Marlins out of the pen.
So getting ready to pitch out of the bullpen is nothing new for Hunter Harvey, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and then signed with Washington in Spring Training.
“The phone could ring in the first inning, it could ring in the ninth inning,” Harvey, standing by his locker in the Washington clubhouse before the Nationals began a homestand Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, told Federal Baseball. “You have to stay ready down there.”
Hunter has posted some impressive numbers in his first year with the Nationals.
Going into Friday’s game, he had thrown 20.2 innings this year and allowed just 14 hits with an ERA of 3.05 and a WHIP of 0.97.
“It’s the best I’ve felt in my career,” he said.
That is a pretty notable thing to say.
Harvey was drafted in 2013 by the Orioles in the first round out of his North Carolina high school.
He dealt with arm problems in the minors – seems like many pitchers do – but finally made his major league debut for Baltimore on August 17, 2019, against the Boston Red Sox.
Harvey was 1-0 with an ERA of 1.42 in seven games out of the bullpen that year for the Orioles.
The next season he was 0-2, 4.15 in 10 games as a reliever for Baltimore.
Harvey, in 2021, was 0-0, 4.15 in nine games out of the pen for the Birds.
He was a starter in the minors before he was moved to the pen with Triple-A Norfolk in 2019.
“He’s a hard thrower – and he’s actually healthy,” manager Dave Martinez told reporters earlier this year. “When he’s healthy, we know he’s got really good stuff.”
Harvey was on the Injured List with a right pronator strain from April 21 to July 10 as he missed 71 games.
His father was a pitching coach in the minors with the Rockies in 2007 in Asheville, North Carolina, and worked with pitcher Will Harris, who is now with the Nationals though he has been on the Injured List.
The brother of Hunter Harvey was roommates in the minors with Steve Cishek, the former Marlins’ reliever who is now with Washington. Hunter Harvey and Cishek have lockers very close to each other in the home clubhouse here.
