Matt Harvey visits RVC Little Leaguers

Appearance comes before three local teams become District 30 champs

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Rockville Centre Little Leaguers had the chance to get some pointers from one of New York’s premier athletes before competing in Williamsport when Mets pitcher Matt Harvey showed up to Hickey Field last month.

Steve Napolitano, manager of the league’s 12-year-old team, who is a friend of Harvey, arranged for the former All-Star to visit the squad’s practice. “He just loves being around the kids and he enjoys it,” Napolitano said of Harvey, “so he’s always willing to come out and do stuff like that.”

Napolitano said Harvey showed the young players his scar from Tommy John surgery — a procedure during which the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow is often replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the patient’s body — and touched on some of the tough realities of pitching at the highest level.

Harvey has been sidelined with an injured scapula bone in his right shoulder since last pitching on June 14 against the Chicago Cubs.

“It kind of humanizes the players and it makes the kids realize that they’re flesh and blood and normal human beings,” Napolitano said.

“The message was work hard and your dreams can come true,” he added of Harvey’s talk with his players. “He’s had some tough injuries and it’s not what he focuses on obviously, but that was part of the conversation.”

“We got to learn about his experiences and how to get better,” said Napolitano’s son, Paul. “He was really cool and he was just like a normal guy.”

One of Harvey’s most memorable points that Paul took away from Harvey’s visit was not to throw curveballs,” as doing so at a young age can lead to arm injuries.

Harvey’s advice came before the 11- and 12-year-old teams, as well as Rockville Centre’s junior baseball team, which comprises 13- and 14-year-olds, each won the District 30 Championship earlier this month. District 30 includes Oceanside, Island Park, Long Beach, Freeport, Lynbrook, Baldwin and East Rockaway.