On Friday, all indications pointed to Hart as the front-runner.
In discussing his pitching corps, manager John Russell mentioned Hart as one of the starters and McCutchen among the bullpen crew. But when pressed, Russell stopped short of confirming Hart has won the job.
"There's competition and he knows it," Russell said of Hart, two worked on his delivery over the winter. "He's going to do everything he can to make sure he makes a good impression and shows he's ready for it. We've got some other very good candidates, but he's working awfully hard. Time will tell, but he's in a good position right now."
So there you go. McCutchen outpitched Hart last season and is probably the better bet to not completely bomb this year, but this isn't surprising.