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2014 IPP: Vic Black

Benjamin Grimm Mar 05 2014 06:16 PM

It was moderately popular last year, so we'll try it again this year. IPP stands for Individual Player Predictions. These will be threads where we share our expectations of how a player will perform in the current year. Feel free to make your predictions as specific or as vague as you like. (You can find a listing of the 2013 IPPs here.) I think Vic Black will emerge as the primary eighth-inning guy, getting save opportunities in the (hopefully) few times that Bobby Parnell is unavailable. 3.40 ERA, 65 games.

Vic Sage Mar 05 2014 06:20 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

He'll get a shot at setting up, but he'll walk the world and get sent down before a late-season call-up reestablishes him for 2015. 4.95 ERA / 45 ip

Ceetar Mar 05 2014 06:24 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

35 IP, 3.2 ERA, 8.2 K/9 3.0 BB/9 ERA+ 112

smg58 Mar 05 2014 06:50 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

He'll be up and down, literally and figuratively. I'll say 30 IP up here with a 3.80 ERA.

Lefty Specialist Mar 05 2014 07:13 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

Spends weeks wandering around the back fields at St. Lucie, constantly adjusting his glasses, muttering and cursing about the issues of the day, occasionally showering teammates with flecks of spittle, until the Mets discover they'd actually traded for LEWIS Black. He's immediately sent to Aruba. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFdxlamciLY

Mets Guy in Michigan Mar 05 2014 07:15 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

I like him. Seems to have a live arm. I hope he doesn't lose innings to Valverde. But he seems to be the designated replacement closer if Parnell's out.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 05 2014 07:54 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

He'll see a LOT of work. 66 G, 67 2/3 IP, 3.18 ERA/1.22 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 3 S

TheOldMole Mar 05 2014 08:37 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

One of the staff's three top workhorses.

MFS62 Mar 06 2014 04:36 AM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

61G, 66 IP, 21BB, 63K, 2.31ERA, 1.29 WHIP, mostly as 8th inning pitcher. 6-7 in save opportunities. Later

d'Kong76 Mar 09 2014 05:34 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

I'll second Mole's post.

G-Fafif Mar 26 2014 03:58 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

When in Vegas, bet on Black, because that's where he's starting the season.

Frayed Knot Mar 26 2014 04:22 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

A clear case of someone pitching his way out of a job in ST. Coming in I would have said he was pretty much inked in. 9.1 IP; 13 Hits; 7 Runs (6 ER); 13 Hits; 9 Ks/10 BBs

Vic Sage Mar 26 2014 08:51 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

10 BBs in 9 IP... yikes! But I can't say I'm terribly surprised. What did we expect for a month of Marlon Byrd and John Buck... Goose Gossage? There's a reason he couldn't stick on a mediocre Bucs staff. He's got good stuff, but lets see if he can turn it into some kind of consistent production before we crown him closer-in-waiting. Meanwhile, the 7th spot go to German i assume? He hasn't been great either. Parnell Valverde Familia Rice (L) Torres Lannan (L) German

Edgy MD Mar 26 2014 08:55 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

Sounds about right. Possibly Mejia?

Benjamin Grimm Mar 26 2014 09:00 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

My hunch is that Mejia will start the season in the big-league bullpen.

Vic Sage Mar 27 2014 08:16 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

i don't know about that. I think that Mejia is either the 5th starter or they start him in AAA. They seem to be committed to him as a starter at this point. I doubt that, due to his injury history, they'll want to bounce him back and forth from the rotation to the pen.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 27 2014 08:35 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

I think it's about the innings; they'll use him sparingly in April and May so that he can last the season. That's my guess, anyway.

MFS62 Mar 27 2014 08:35 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

One of his games was on TV the other day. When he takes the ball out of his glove, he quickly taps the ball on the back of the glove as part of his delivery. Not sure it is a timing thing, to make sure he has a good grip on the ball, or something else. I don't remember if he did that last year. If it was something recommended to aid his control, he should stop doing it. Later

Ceetar Mar 27 2014 08:37 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think it's about the innings; they'll use him sparingly in April and May so that he can last the season. That's my guess, anyway. We can only hope that 'last the season' applies to innings and not health.

MFS62 Mar 27 2014 11:41 PM Re: 2014 IPP: Vic Black

Apparently, I'm not the only one who noticed the tapping of the ball on the glove" http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1 ... 88562.html Now I know why he does it. Later