Matt Harvey explains why he wants to return to Mets this year

The Mets, plagued by a .229 average and too many strikeouts, were not one of the more intriguing teams of the first quarter of the season. But with Harvey

Tom Verducci|

The Mets, plagued by a .229 average and too many strikeouts, were not one of the more intriguing teams of the first quarter of the season. But with Harvey bound and determined to come back this year, they just might be one of the more interesting teams to watch in the final quarter.

"The two things with Jose Fernandez and young pitchers like him are that they were throwing 95 in high school and they have had 10 years of competitive pitching. That's what has changed. When Jim Kaat and John Smoltz were that age, they threw a lot, but they maybe played other positions and weren't always pitching. Kids can play catch a lot. They really should be playing other positions and other sports, not just pitching. There has got to be less competitive pitching."

Published May 20, 2014

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.

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