The talented right-hander will start the year in Las Vegas to improve his control.
After a disappointing spring training, the Mets have decided to send Vic Black to Triple-A to start the 2014 season, according to The Wall Street Journal. Acquired in the Marlon Byrd trade, the former Pirate was penciled in to play a prominent role in the Mets' bullpen in 2014. Many considered him the leading candidate to be the primary setup man for closer Bobby Parnell, but he might have pitched himself out of a job with his recent performance.
The right-hander continued to show problems with his control, something that will likely keep Black from being a dominant reliever if he doesn’t improve. The 25-year-old walked 10 batters in only 9 1/3 innings. Even though it’s only spring training, the Mets clearly wanted to see better results than that.
The Mets don’t have a clear number two reliever behind Parnell, but the job could go to the veteran Jose Valverde or even Jeurys Familia.
Earlier today, Steve Sypa advocated a committed approach to Black's development, if the Mets did in fact choose to send him down, unlike the temporary stay Ike Davis experienced last year.
