Inside Matt Harvey's Mets debut

Before the season began, the 2012 Minor League Baseball Analyst gave this description of then-Mets prospect Matt Harvey:

“Strong, athletic righty was the seventh pick in the '10 draft. He has a plus 92-95 mph FB that tops out at 98 with good life. He also throws a plus 82-84 mph SL, a CU, and a CB. He has worked hard to develop a more consistent release point and the command improved. Continued progress could mean top-of-the-rotation stuff.”

The Analyst pegged his potential as a No. 1 starter and gave him a 9D designation, meaning he had a 30 percent chance to become an elite player.

Harvey's start against the Diamondbacks on Thursday did nothing to calm those expectations.

Harvey struck out 11, gave up three hits and three walks in 5.1 scoreless innings. His fastball reached 98 mph three times and was still hitting 95 mph in the sixth inning.

Here's the inning-by-inning breakdown of his average fastball velocity:

1 – 95.81 (11 thrown)
2 – 95.58 (12 thrown)
3 – 95.53 (15 thrown)
4 – 95.30 (13 thrown)
5 – 93.25 (8 thrown)
6 – 93.53 (13 thrown)

He threw six different pitches according to MLB.com's pitch/FX data: