What is Matt Harvey's Net Worth?
Matt Harvey is a former professional baseball pitcher who has a net worth of $10 million. During his professional career Matt Harvey played nine MLB seasons between 2012 and 2021, mostly for the New York Mets. With the team, he played in the 2015 World Series. After that, Harvey's career declined due to a number of injuries and poor performances. He earned $28 million in salary during his career.
Early Life and High School
Matt Harvey was born on March 27, 1989 in New London, Connecticut as the only son and youngest of three children of teachers Jackie and Ed. He is of Irish and Italian descent, and was raised with his sisters Jessica and Jocelyn in Mystic, Connecticut. Harvey attended Fitch Senior High School in Groton, where his father coached him on the school baseball team. He also played basketball at Fitch. Over the summers, Harvey played baseball with various travel teams, including the East Coast Grays and the South Florida Bandits. Although he was considered one of the top high school prospects in the country in 2007, Harvey experienced a disappointing result in that year's MLB draft and chose to attend college instead.
Collegiate Career
For college, Harvey attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in sports administration and played college baseball for the Tar Heels. He finished his collegiate career at UNC with a 22-7 record and a 3.73 ERA. Meanwhile, during his summer breaks in 2008 and 2009, Harvey played for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Minor League Career
In the 2010 MLB draft, Harvey was chosen with the seventh overall pick by the New York Mets. He began his professional career in the organization's minor league system, splitting his time between the Single-A St. Lucie Mets and the Double-A Binghamton Mets in 2011. The following season, Harvey was promoted to the Mets' Triple-A affiliate the Buffalo Bisons.
New York Mets
Harvey was called up to the majors in the summer of 2012 during a period of struggle for the Mets. In his debut, a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he recorded 11 strikeouts, which set a Mets franchise record for strikeouts in a pitching debut. Harvey also recorded two hits. In his second career start, against the San Francisco Giants, he recorded seven strikeouts to bring his total to 18 strikeouts, a Mets record for a rookie in his first two career games. Harvey finished the season with a 3-5 record, 2.73 ERA, and 70 strikeouts. He proceeded to have another terrific season in 2013, starting with 19 strikeouts across his first two season starts. In a June game against the Atlanta Braves, Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in the process. Later, in August, he pitched his first career complete game shutout, leading the Mets to a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. However, toward the end of the month, he was placed on the disabled list due to an elbow injury. Harvey finished the 2013 season with a 9-5 record, 2.27 ERA, and 191 strikeouts.
Harvey ended up missing the entirety of the 2014 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned in April of 2015 in fine form, allowing no runs in six innings while recording nine strikeouts against the Washington Nationals. The next month, Harvey gave up no runs in eight innings while recording nine strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals. In July, he scored his first career home run in a victory over the Diamondbacks. The Mets went on to reach the postseason, where they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. In the World Series, the Mets lost to the Kansas City Royals. Over the subsequent seasons, Harvey's performance declined, with injuries being a major contributing factor. In 2016, his season ended early so he could have surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve condition. The following season, Harvey spent time on the disabled list with a stress fracture. In his final season with the Mets in 2018, he made only eight appearances, posting a 0-2 record and 7.00 ERA. He was ultimately designated for assignment in May after he refused a demotion to the minors.
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Cincinnati Reds
The Mets traded Harvey to the Cincinnati Reds after designating him for assignment in May of 2018. During his single season with the Reds, he went 7-7 with a 4.50 ERA and 111 strikeouts.
Los Angeles Angels
In late 2018, Harvey signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. His past struggles continued during his time with the team, as he recorded a 7.50 ERA across 48 innings before being placed on the disabled list with a back injury. In July, Harvey was designated for assignment and released by the Angels.
Oakland Athletics
Harvey signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics in the summer of 2019. After the season, he became a free agent.
Kansas City Royals
In the summer of 2020, Harvey signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals; he was soon promoted to the majors. Harvey appeared in seven games for the Royals, going 0-3 and posting an 11.57 ERA.
Baltimore Orioles and Retirement
Harvey signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles in early 2021. In March, he was promoted to the majors. Harvey's season ended in September when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a knee injury. He finished with a 6-14 record, 6.27 ERA, and 95 strikeouts. Harvey subsequently became a free agent. In the spring of 2022, he re-signed with the Orioles on a minor league contract; however, he was issued a 60-game suspension a month later for distributing oxycodone. Returning later in the season, Harvey played for the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds, the Double-A Bowie Baysox, and the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. After declaring free agency in late 2022, he announced his retirement from professional playing in the spring of 2023.
Public Image
During his tenure with the Mets, Harvey was infamous for his hedonistic lifestyle, including his Maserati car and his long list of fashion model girlfriends such as Anne Vyalitsyna and Adriana Lima. In 2013, he appeared nude in ESPN The Magazine's The Body Issue, and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the nickname "The Dark Knight of Gotham."
