The Players Association conducted polls of players in both leagues to identify and rank the best umpires in 1974; Harvey was named the top NL umpire, being the only official in the league rated as "excellent." In 1987, a "Sports Illustrated" poll of NL catchers ranked him as the third best umpire in the league for calling balls and strikes, with one voter saying he "still cares about doing the best possible job." In 1990, "Sport" magazine named him the best umpire in the game, citing his unbending application of the rules and noting his campaign to enforce the balk rule two seasons earlier, when he said, "Give me ten high school pitchers, let me spend a week with them, and I'll show you 10 pitchers who won't balk. It's not that difficult. So they better learn it."