Hunter Harvey
Hunter Luke Harvey
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 168 lb.
- High School Bandys High School
- Debut August 17, 2019
- Born December 9, 1994 in Catawba, NC USA
Biographical Information[edit]
The son of major leaguer Bryan Harvey, pitcher Hunter Harvey was selected #22 overall in the first round of the 2013 amateur draft out of high school by the Baltimore Orioles and scout Chris Gale. He soon signed for a bonus of almost $2 million and made his pro debut with the GCL Orioles on July 19th, throwing a scoreless inning against the GCL Rays. In 2014, he went 7-5, 3.18 in 18 starts for the Delmarva Shorebirds, striking out 106 in 87 2/3 innings.
His minor league career was interrupted when he missed the entire 2015 season with an injury, then only made 5 appearance in 2016 and 8 in 2017, never pitching at a higher level than the Class A South Atlantic League. In 2018, he played in AA for the first time, making 9 starts for the Bowie BaySox of the Eastern League and going 1-2, 5.57. That one win was his first one since 2014. He was back at Bowie to start 2019, and went 2-5, 5.19 in 14 games, being switched to the bullpen after 11 starts. At the end of June, he was promoted to the AAA Norfolk Tides, where he was a full-time reliever and went 1-1, 4.32 in 11 appearances. He was still striking out a lot of batters, combining for 83 in 75 2/3 over the two stops.
He was called up to the Show and made his major league debut with the Orioles on August 17, 2019, pitching the final inning of a 4-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He did not allow any runs and flashed triple digits on the radar gun in the game. He had been briefly called up the previous year but had not made an appearance in a game. He went 1-0, 1.47 in 7 games that first year, and also played for Baltimore in 2020 and 2021, going 0-2, 4.15 and 0-0, 4.15 in 10 and 9 games respectively.
Following the 2021 season, he was claimed off waivers twice, first by the San Francisco Giants and again on March 22, 2022 by the Washington Nationals. That turned out to be the career break he needed as he got regular work at the major league level with the Nats, starting with 38 appearances that year, when he went 2-1, 2.52 with 45 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. 2023 was his first full season in the Show, and he made 57 appearances, going 4-4, 2.82 with 10 saves (he had not recorded one in his first four seasons). He had an excellent 67/10 K/W ratio in 60 2/3 innings. In 2024, he did not pitch as well for the Nats, but still made 43 appearances with them before the All-Star break, going 2-4, 4.20 as the set-up man for closer Kyle Finnegan. On July 13th, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals in return for prospect Cayden Wallace and the Royals' Competitive Balance A pick (No. 39 overall) in the 2024 amateur draft, held the next day - a very nice return for the Nationals.
In addition to Harvey's father, his brother Kris Harvey and his uncle Dwayne Harvey played minor league ball.
Further Reading[edit]
- Anne Rogers: "Royals add reliever Harvey in trade with Nationals", mlb.com, July 14, 2024. [1]
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