Fitch Baseball Alums Rising In Minor Leagues

Former Fitch High baseball All-America pitcher Matt Harvey could not have performed more impressively in his professional debut April 7.

Harvey, the 22-year-old New York Mets first round draft pick in 2010, threw five shutout innings in St. Lucie's 1-0 victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals in their Florida State League opener.

It was his first sustained game action since hurling his last game as a junior for the University of North Carolina in June during the NCAA Tournament. The Mets used Harvey for just one inning against an Italian national team in a exhibition game in spring training.

The '07 Fitch grad was assigned to St. Lucie, the Mets' Class A Advanced ballclub, and showed none of the control problems that occasionally hampered him during an otherwise strong three-year UNC career (22-5 record). He struck out nine and walked two.

St. Lucie manager Pedro Lopez predicts a fast-track to the Majors for Harvey.

"He has great presence on the mound, great poise. He looks much older than he is, and I'm glad to have him as my No. 1 guy," Lopez told the Palm Beach Post. "Hopefully fans can appreciate that and watch him pitch because it will not be too long before he's pitching at Citi Field (in New York)."

Harvey, represented by super-agent Scott Boras, has always been a high-profile prospect since establishing his 94-95 MPH fastball, earning State Player of the Year honors and landing a high draft status at Fitch. Former Falcon All-Stater Matt Browning has not enjoyed the same fast-track to professional success.

Despite Browning's excellent track record of hitting at Fitch, where he graduated as the career hits leader, and at James Madison (.375 lifetime average), he was never considered a surefire pro prospect. Harvey was drafted in the third round out of Fitch and in the first after his college junior year. Browning wasn't drafted until after his senior year in the 43rd round.

But the 6-foot, 210-pound, right-handed slugger is also moving up the minor league ranks, currently in Advanced Class A like Harvey. After playing a few weeks in the Arizona Rookie League in July, Browning was assigned the Pulaski (Va.) Mariners of the Class A Appalachian League where he led the squad with a .330 average in 105 at bats.

This year after spring training with the Mariners, Browning rose a level to the High Desert Mavericks of the Advanced Class A California League.

"My goal is to just to take advantage of whatever situation I am put in and make the best of this opportunity," Browning wrote in an e-mail. "My main goal for right now was to have a great showing at spring training and to wind up on a full-season roster, which I accomplished."

Browning admits he wasn't assured he'd be drafted out of James Madison. College position players, unless they play at Top 10 ranked schools, are not hot commodities for pro scouts.

"I started out slow in Arizona for many reasons," Browning said. "After playing 200 straight games for James Madison, I was playing just twice a week in the rookie league against pitchers better than what I faced in college."

Browning caught a break when he was called up to Pulaski (Va.) Mariners, very close to James Madison and his new home after his parents moved from Mystic  to Glen Allen, Va., in '09.

"It was great to be back on the east coast and much closer to my parents," Browning said. "But it wasn't so much being back closer to college as it was just being back on the same time schedule as everyone who I communicate with.  My play took off as soon as I got into the lineup and found myself playing every night."

Fitch boasted three 2010 draft picks with '07 grad Jesse Hahn going to Tampa Bay in the 6th round after a three-year career at Virginia Tech. The right-handed pitcher is recoving from Tommy John surgery and hopes to return later this season.