Ryan Harvey Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Ryan Michael Harvey
Born 08/30/1984 in Clearwater, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Dunedin
Drafted in the 1st round (6th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2003 (signed for $2,400,000).

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OF Ryan Harvey helped Riverside CC win the first two of three consecutive state junior college crowns before transferring to Old Dominion as a junior. He returned to his roots this year, spending his senior year at UC Riverside. He led the Big West in hitting most of the season.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Four years after making Harvey the fifth overall pick in the 2003 draft, the Cubs still don't know what they have him. Few players in the minors can hit a ball as far or look as silly on a strikeout as he can. He hit just .203 with seven homers in his first 68 games last year, then .320 with 13 longballs in his last 54, including a four-homer outburst on July 28. With his natural strength and leverage, Harvey is a threat to go deep at any time in any park against any pitcher. A right fielder, he threw 90-93 mph off the mound in high school and has accuracy to go with his arm strength. A good athlete for his size, he runs well once he gets going. Harvey still uses the same one-plane swing he had in high school, and he could work harder to make changes. His approach also leaves a lot to be desired, as he chases too many pitches. Pitchers can bust him inside, and when he looks that way, he's easy prey for soft stuff on the outer half. Did Harvey figure things out in the second half of 2006, or did he just ride an extended hot streak? The Cubs don't know for sure, but they're anxious to see how he performs this year in Double-A.
Though he blew out his right knee at a high school showcase the previous fall, Harvey recovered in time to go sixth overall in the 2003 draft and sign for $2.4 million. He made his full-season debut in 2005 and was a low Class A Midwest League all-star, leading the league in homers and losing the RBI title on the last day of the season. Harvey has massive power potential and is an incredible athlete for a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder. He looks like the blueprint scouts would draw up for a right fielder. He has plus speed and a plus-plus arm that unleashed 90-93 mph fastballs when he pitched in high school. Harvey has a huge ceiling but will have to make several adjustments at the plate to reach it. He's a free swinger with a long stroke who struggles against inside fastballs and chases wayward breaking balls. His two-strike approach is poor. It remains to be seen how well Harvey will do against more advanced pitching, and he'll probably never hit for a high average. But his tools excite the Cubs, and they'll see how he fares at high Class A Daytona in 2006.
Because he was recovering from blowing out his right knee at a high school showcase, Harvey barely played after signing for $2.4 million in 2003. His first real exposure to pro ball came last season, which he capped by homering four times in three games to lead short-season Boise to a Northwest League playoff sweep. Harvey's power is comparable to Brian Dopirak's, and Harvey is unquestionably a more well-rounded player. He has solid-average speed, and his strong arm delivered 90-93 mph fastballs when he pitched in high school. His size and physical gifts have prompted comparisons to Dale Murphy. As with Dopirak, the Cubs realize strikeouts will accompany Harvey's homers. But he needs to do a better job working counts, and his naturally long swing can get exploited by quality pitching. After getting injured in a collision, he's still tentative in right field. Harvey could be on the verge of a low Class A breakout like Dopirak had last year. At least three years away from the majors, he'll be Sammy Sosa's long-term successor in right field.
Seven months after blowing out his right knee in an outfield collision at a high school showcase, Harvey was a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2003 draft. The Cubs ranked him third on their draft board and were elated to get him with the sixth pick. Though he signed quickly for $2.4 million, the team had him focus on rehabbing his knee until the final two weeks of the season. Scouts compare Harvey to Dale Murphy. Harvey has huge power, as well as the strongest outfield arm and the best power/speed combination in the system. He threw 90-93 mph off the mound before giving up pitching in the wake of his injury. Harvey hasn't quite regained his 6.7-second speed in the 60-yard dash. His rust also showed at the plate in the Rookie-level Arizona League. His swing can get long at times and he'll have to keep it shorter with wood bats. The last Cubs outfield prospect with this much promise was Corey Patterson. They rushed Patterson and vow not to do the same with Harvey. Sammy Sosa's eventual successor may begin 2004 in extended spring training before heading to Boise.

Minor League Top Prospects

Only Gonzales had a higher ceiling in the MWL than Harvey, and no one had more power. He topped the league in homers and was one RBI short of leading in that category as well. He can add strength to his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame, and he has above-average speed and a plus-plus arm. So why doesn't Harvey rank higher? Because he has several flaws in his offensive game, prompting scouts to wonder if he'll hit as he moves up the ladder. Harvey is a free swinger with a long, strong stroke. He doesn't catch up to quality fastballs and he chases way too many breaking balls out of the strike zone. He doesn't stay on balls on the outer half of the plate, nor does he have a two-strike approach. He'll be a star if he can make all of those adjustments, but that may be too much to ask.
Harvey put on a power display all year, then cranked three bombs in the first two games of the playoffs against Vancouver. "He's got plus power," Vancouver manager Dennis Rogers said. "He hit two home runs off us that first night that went about 900 feet combined." Harvey can drive pitches up or down in the zone out of the park, and feasts against fastballs with average velocity or worse. Plus fastballs and good breaking balls gave him trouble because his swing tends to get long and his pitch selection isn't advanced, leading him to swing through a lot of balls. Harvey played two-thirds of his games in right field, where his arm strength fits fine, and the others at DH. He's an average outfielder who sometimes took tentative routes to balls and probably will settle in as a major league left fielder with a spot on the home run leader board. "If he makes adjustments with the offspeed pitches, and I think he will, he's going to have quite a major league future," Gideon said.
Harvey signed for the largest bonus ($2.4 million) of any player in the AZL but didn't see much action until the final three weeks of the season. The Cubs wanted to bring him along slowly after he tore up his knee last November. Though Harvey struggled, his raw ability was obvious. He has a long, lanky frame with outstanding power potential to all fields, above-average speed and right-field arm strength "He was late on balls because he had not seen a lot of live pitching," Cubs manager Carmelo Martinez said. "He needs to make some adjustments at the plate and work on hitting in different counts."