A hard thrower from Tennessee, Harville dazzled scouts with a fastball that snapped off in the high 90s but his control prevented him from being anything more than a middle reliever. He pitched for Oakland during parts of four season before he was dealt to Houston in April of 2004 for pitcher Kirk Saarloos.

Harville compiled a 3-4 record with a 4.63 ERA in 93 games over the 2004 and 2005 seasons for Houston. He later pitched for the Red Sox and Devil Rays. Overall, he had a 4-9 record with a 5.22 ERA.