The Wounded Warriors

Kevin Hart —  R/R,  6′ 4″,  215 lb
Hart is a 28-year-old who began his career in the Orioles organization, then was traded to the Cubs, and was traded again to the Pirates in 2009, in the same trade with Jose Ascanio.  Hart joined the Pirates, but his 10 starts were all rough, even the one he won.  He earned a 1-8 record and a 6.92 ERA, and in 53.1 innings, he allowed 41 earned runs and 74 hits.  He also walked 26 batters (4.4 walks/ 9 innings) and struck out 39 (6.6 K/ 9 innings).  Hart was expected to be in the Pirates’ starting rotation to begin 2010, but after several rough spring training performances, he was assigned to AAA Indianapolis.  He made 5 appearances (4 starts), but none was longer than 5 innings.  The 5-inning start was his best, as he allowed one run on 5 hits.  The last start was the worst, with 7 earned runs on 7 hits in just 2 innings.  Hart also pitched 3 no-hit innings in the one relief appearance, earning a save.  That put him at a 6.75 ERA in 17.1 innings, with 13 runs and 18 hits.  After that last start, Hart was found to have a shoulder injury, and he eventually had surgery to repair a torn labrum.  He had been hoping to be ready to go for spring training 2011, but that didn’t happen, and now Hart is in a similar position to Ascanio.  He will not be able to jump right into the major leagues when he returns to competitive pitching, but he too is out of options, and will have to go through waivers in order to work extensively in the minors.