REPORT: Jeff Locke has won a spot in the Pirates rotation

Jeff Locke has surprisingly won the last starting spot in the Pirates’ rotation, this as per Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review:

It goes without saying that this is at least somewhat of a surprise, as Vance Worley had appeared to have at least a small lead in the competition.  At least, it appeared that way, but upon closer inspection, neither did much to truly distinguish themselves, as evidenced by their spring training stats below:

One could speculate as to the deciding factor in this decision.  Clint Hurdle could prefer to have another LHP in the rotation, or he may have thought that Worley’s skillset lends itself better to the bullpen than Locke’s.  I do believe that to be the case, as The Vanimal has a well known work-rate that can lend itself to some quick innings.

Keep your eyes peeled to Rum Bunter for further analysis, but one thing is for certain, Jeff Locke has the confidence of the coaching staff, and that can’t be ignored.

Next: The Pedro Alvarez diary