NEW YORK — Mets ace Matt Harvey smiles as he tells me the best part about his new endorsement deal with AXE Hair. He gets bragging rights over fellow Mets pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, despite their flowing locks.
“Obviously, keeping up with deGrom and Syndergaard, I had to find a way to keep my hair — and my pitching at top shape,” he said during an interview last week at the Chelsea Piers Golf Club.
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Harvey’s new deal with AXE, Unilever’s edgy men’s grooming brand, is another indication the 26-year old power pitcher is filling the void left by retired Yankees superstar Derek Jeter on Madison Avenue. With Jeter’s retirement, the Big Apple needs a new Prince of the City. The Dark Knight of Gotham fits the bill.
As one of the most talented young pitchers in Major League Baseball, Harvey is now his own brand.
Like Jeter, he plays in the marketing and media capital of New York. Like Jeter, he’s sponsored by Nike. Like Jeter, he’s a single, man-about-town who’s a magnet for gossip columns and magazine covers. He's even writing for Jeter's new online publication, The Players' Tribune, where he recounted his recovery from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2014 season.
The New London, Conn. native has embraced the Big Apple since bursting onto the scene as a hard-throwing rookie in 2012. He lives in a Manhattan bachelor pad. During his spare time, he hangs out at pal Josh Capon’s Lure Fishbar SoHo and other hotspots. Or he just walks the city streets.
On the marketing front, he recently teamed with Yankees legend Mariano Rivera in an ad campaign for Delta Air Lines in which he surprises fans at a “Delta Dugout” near Manhattan’s famed Flatiron Building. He seems tailor-made for the kind of national car deal that another young sports star, 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, scored with Jaguar.
But Harvey seems ambivalent about his “Dark Knight” moniker, shaking his head when it comes up during the interview. Baseball super agent Scott Boras has an internal team handling his endorsements.
During his last start, the right-hander allowed one run on seven hits over six innings. He's got a 2.57 ERA over 154 innings this season and the NL East-leading Mets are poised for their first postseason appearance since 2006.
Excerpts of Harvey’s one-on-one interview with Sporting News:
Q: Who are your current sponsors?
A: I’ve partnered up with Juice Press. Obviously excited about AXE being a new one. Eleven James, which is a watch company here in New York. Can’t forget Nike.
Q: Any national brands you would like to endorse?
A: Partnering up with AXE was a big one for me. Right now, I think the baseball stuff is taken care of. For me, keeping up with the pitching, and keeping up with the hair of the two studs that I have to compete against and play with, is a perfect fit for AXE shampoo.
Q: Have you thought about growing your hair long like deGrom or Syndergaard?
A: Maybe when I was in college. I probably went through the stage of shaving it. I went through the stage of making it long. Didn’t make it half as long as they have it.
Q: Is New York becoming a Mets town?
A: I think so. I think in the last couple of games, and pretty much all year, Mets fans have been rocking the house. For us, its pretty easy to play at home. We like to think it’s switching over.
Q: Are you seeing bigger home crowds at Citi Field?
A: Yes, definitely. Between this series (against the Rockies). Obviously the Washington (Nationals) series was completely packed. Probably the loudest I've ever heard Citi Field. It actually reminded me of going to games at Shea (Stadium) when I was younger. So it’s definitely exciting. We’re definitely feeling the energy.
Q: I hear you drive a Maserati. Would you be interested in a national car endorsement deal?
A: Actually, I work with Mercedes of Brooklyn. I do a lot of stuff with them. Doug Wells is actually the head guy there. They give me a nice brand-new Mercedes.
Q: You're a New England Patriots fan. Is Tom Brady innocent or guilty in Deflategate?
A: I think its tough. I know him pretty well. I don’t think its true at all. I think he’s a good guy. He's a tremendous athlete. I think he should be playing.
Q: How do you like 'Dark Knight' nickname?
A: I knew that was coming up at some point. i think it’s interesting. It was cool at first. It's fun seeing the kinds in their masks and stuff like that. But it is what it is.
Q: Who slapped that nickname on you? Verducci? (Sports Illustrated baseball writer Tom Verducci memorably dubbed Harvey 'The Dark Knight of Gotham' in a 2013 cover story)
A: I think it was Verducci. It was a shock to me. I never heard of that. I dressed up as Batman a few times when I was a kid for Halloween. Other than that, I didn’t see the connection.
Q: A lot of NYC sports legends such as Jeter, Mark Messier and Joe Namath chose to live in the Big City — rather than the suburbs. How about you?
A: I'm an East Village guy...It's fun. I've lived there for three or four years, ever since I got called up. Haven't wanted to move. It's been great.
Q: You’re also the New York bureau chief for Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune. How is that going?
A: It’s great. My first story was very fun and exciting. I think as the season went on, it was a little bit tougher to sit down and come up with something. I think there’s enough throughout this year and excitement of the season to eventually come out with a new story.
Q: Has MLB's move to speed up the game been helpful or hurtful?
A: I like to work pretty quickly anyway. It not only keeps the fans in the game, but it keeps the defense on their toes and ready at all times. As a starting pitcher, I want to get through six, seven, eight innings as quick as possible. For me, it never became an issue.
