Multiple sources are reporting that Kevin Hart has been optioned to Triple A Indianapolis. This follows much outrage amongst Pirates fans about the fifth starter competition between Kevin Hart and Daniel McCutchen.
Cutch 2.0 earned the job after out pitching him as a Pirate last season (Cutch - 1-2, 4.21 with 19 k and 11 BB in 36.1 innings, Hart - 1-8, 6.92 with 39 K and 26 BB in 53.1 innings). Hart's struggles in Spring Training have been well documented.
I don't think the problem was actually with Hart being handed the job per se. I think it was seen as a lack of a real competition, something the Pirates claimed would happen. Neil Huntington has been clear that there would be no scholarship players and this "competition" really went against the spirit of what the Pirates are trying to accomplish.
Sure Hart's upside is higher and his stuff is better. But if he can't repeat his delivery, and if the Pirates are only planning to use their fifth starter just one time between now and April 24th, it just makes sense for him to learn how to repeat his delivery in Triple A instead of getting smacked around and discouraged in the Majors.
The real question is why did they try to give Hart the job so much? Was it only his stuff? Was Huntington trying to justify a trade that is looking pretty bad at this point in time? They really never held a fair competition between the two and now it looks like we will never get to see a real competition because Cutch 2.0 still doesn't have a Grapefruit League start.
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