Our 10 Prospects in 10 Days segment continues with relief pitcher Vic Black.
Quick Profile
Position: Pitcher
Throws: Right
Age: 24
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 200 lbs.
The Pirates drafted Black at 49th overall back in 2009, and they added him to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason. The Dallas Baptist University product flourished last season at Altoona:
| Year | Age | Lev | W | L | G | GF | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 24 | AA | 2 | 3 | 1.65 | 51 | 38 | 13 | 60.0 | 40 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 29 | 85 | 1.150 | 4.4 | 12.8 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
He allowed just 11 earned runs in 60 innings of work, and shut opponents down with a tremendous 12.8 K/9. Here’s a quick scouting report from MLB.com:
He has a ton of arm strength and his fastball should continue play up in short relief. He has a power slider that also should work well in the role, especially as he gets further removed from his arm issues. He got the chance to close out some games for Double-A Altoona in 2012 and if he can refine his command, he could have that kind of potential in the future.
Here he is pitching in the Arizona Fall League ‘Rising Stars Game’ in November:
Black turns 25 in May, and he should see plenty of innings in the Indianapolis bullpen. Assuming he shuts down the opposition with his strong right arm, he could see Pittsburgh at some point this year.
If Vic Black can maintain control of his pitches while continuously hitting mid-to-high 90′s on the radar gun, he could be an asset to the back-end of the Bucco bullpen in the future. He could easily be a candidate for the closer role in a few years.
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Wyatt Mathisen
Photo: The Daily Collegian
