Kevin Hart Promoted to Iowa

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Not Mark Holliman. No other roster moves yet.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Not Mark Holliman. No other roster moves yet.

 

That's strange. I've seen them both and Holliman looks to be the better pitcher.

[Balsa]

Hmmmm :-k

[Post Count Padder]

Interesting. Holliman's been pretty dominant. I thought he'd get the call-up.

[craig]

Hart has been much more effective over the last 10 starts, dating back to may 18.

 

Hart: 5-1, 2.90, Holliman, 2-6, 3.94

Hart, 55K/16BB/59IP, Holliman 30K/26BB/59IP.

 

Holliman was much better in April, but since mid-May Hart has been better.

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Kevin%2520Hart&pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=453954

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Mark%2520Holliman&pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=460089

 

They are similar in age, Holliman 10 months younger. My understanding is that Holliman is pretty much a soft-tossing finesse guy. Not sure on Hart, one guy saw him on a terrible day and he was also a soft-tosser. I thought a different report suggested that while his fastball was not exceptionally fast, that it wasn't bad either.

 

vance, having seen them both, how would you compare the two in terms of fastball velocity and fastball stuff?

 

If Hart is bigger and if in fact he does throw harder (not sure if that's true, but if it is...), has better K-stuff (55K to 30K over equal recent innings), and has better control (16 walks to 26 walks), ane has been pitching better especially recently, it looks like Hart may be more deserving for the moment. And may (possibly, not sure if it's true at all) have better stuff and better long-term potential besides.

[jersey cubs fan]

Is this more of a case of promoting to fill a spot rather than promoting to reward progress? Hart is a year older and has considerably more pro experience, 329 IP to 144 going into 2007. He's significantly bigger as well, which could mean he's more ready for the bump.

 

And as craig pointed out, he has significantly outperformed since April. I wouldn't see much point in promoting Holliman to AAA, given his limited pro experience so far, and less than dominant performance (based on K data). As the younger, smaller, less experienced and less effective of the two, I'd have to agree with keeping him in AA for now.

 

 

How did the Cubs acquire Kevin Hart?

[UBlink]

How did the Cubs acquire Kevin Hart?

 

Link

 

The Cubs acquired Hart from the Orioles last December in a trade that sent INF/OF Freddie Bynum to Baltimore.

[Guest]

They are similar in age, Holliman 10 months younger. My understanding is that Holliman is pretty much a soft-tossing finesse guy. Not sure on Hart, one guy saw him on a terrible day and he was also a soft-tosser. I thought a different report suggested that while his fastball was not exceptionally fast, that it wasn't bad either.

 

vance, having seen them both, how would you compare the two in terms of fastball velocity and fastball stuff?

 

The reports I've read have Hart throwing a few ticks hard than Holliman (upper 80s) and he has a good sinker too.

 

I agree with the rest of your assessment, Hart is more deserving, older, more experienced and it seems he has better stuff. He seems like a better prospect.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'll admit my report is skewed in favor of Holliman since I probably watched one of his best starts all season. I was at the May game at Mississippi. Holliman didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and ended up going 8 innings while allowing only 2 hits with a 1/5 BB/K ratio. He wasn't overpowering, but he made a very good hitting Braves team look foolish. I don't always pay attention to the radar readings. I sat down the thirdbase line, so I'd have to make an effort to turn away from watching the plate to see the reading on the scoreboard. If I'm correctly remembering, Holliman threw between 88-91 on his fastball that night.

 

Hart pitched the night before. He wasn't horrible, but he wasn't anything that made me sit up and take notice. He gave up some runs in the first, though it was a strange inning. He allowed a lead-off single to Holt and then had some stolen bases and even a CI call that led to Mississippi getting two in the first. He gave up another run in the third and after a scoreless fourth was out of the game.

 

I went back and looked at the box score, and saw he gave up 6 hits in 4 IP, while giving up three runs. Only one of those was earned, but I probably didn't take much note of that when I was at the game. He walked five in those four innings, which is probably why I was less than impressed.

 

His line isn't as nearly as bad as I remember it, but then the way he was lifted early and the struggles he had is why I probably left less than impressed with him. Add to that, the very next night I watched such a dominating performance by Holliman, and you can see why in my mind he was the better of the two.

 

I don't have much recollection of Hart's stuff. But then, unlike when I watched Veal and Gallagher (and to some extents Petrick and Holliman), I wasn't particularly paying attention to it and since his performance in those four innings was relatively mediocre, nothing made me stop to see exactly what he was throwing.

[Athletics36]

I would suspect Hart was moved up as if I remember Walrond pulled a hamstring his last game out.

[NCCubFan]

I would suspect Hart was moved up as if I remember Walrond pulled a hamstring his last game out.

He did while running the bases and left the game after 2 innings. I haven't read anything yet about whether he'll miss any starts.

[craig]

thanks for your scouting reports, vance.

 

Hart was an obscure roster filler at the time, and didn't have much for results in your game. I can see why you wouldn't be analyzing him as carefully as Holliman, who'd had such a hot start. If you'd gone to a Hart game after being pitcher-of-the-month, and after more board talk about how hot he'd been recently, you'd more likely watch him more optimistically and carefully.

 

My guess is that both of these dudes depend on location and command. Neither sounds like they have exceptional stuff. They need to use what they've got. And my guess is that neither one will impress much on a day when they aren't throwing strikes or aren't getting guys out.

 

Hill, Lilly, and Marshall, none are overly fast. On any given day when they don't have much, any can look pretty bad. And on any given day when they are locating what they've got, any of them can look pretty good. If you see them each once, it probably depends on the particular day which will look better and which will look worse.

[the splendid splinter]

One night in Tennessee about two weeks ago Hart's fastball was being clocked by the scouts at 89-93. Read in the Knoxville paper the next week that he's added a cutter or quick slider that's 84 to 88 mph and this pitch has seemed to be the difference maker according to Hart who also features a change and curveball.

[craig]

Thanks, splinter. That sounds encouraging. That sounds like enough to have a chance, if he can really throw that fast, and if he can locate the other stuff.

[apete6]

How did the Cubs acquire Kevin Hart?

 

Link

 

The Cubs acquired Hart from the Orioles last December in a trade that sent INF/OF Freddie Bynum to Baltimore.

 

If this kid pitches 1 pitch in MLB, that's a good trade for Hendry. God, the Orioles love taking our trash. Just imagine if they would have taken Prior for Tejada and/or Bedard.

[Schwarber Fan]

So does he now have to wear a K. Hart jersey or does Bo have to add a B. Hart jersey? Or neither like the Hills on the Cubs?

[Lockes Eye Scar]

So does he now have to wear a K. Hart jersey or does Bo have to add a B. Hart jersey? Or neither like the Hills on the Cubs?

 

I don't think that's done in baseball, so neither

[davearm]

So does he now have to wear a K. Hart jersey or does Bo have to add a B. Hart jersey? Or neither like the Hills on the Cubs?

 

I don't think that's done in baseball, so neither

Neither Hill has an initial, IIRC.

[Guest]

Looking at Tennessee's roster, it appears the second part of this move was the demotion of Ryan O'Malley to AA.