Corey Black has been a starter in the Chicago Cubs minor league system since they acquired him in a trade with the New York Yankees back in 2013. That’s never been the ultimate plan for the 23-year-old right-hander out of Faulkner, Ala. and just a few weeks ago, the Cubs made that clear by moving Black to the bullpen with their Double-A farm team, the Tennessee Smokies.
Oppp dang well yes now that it's out I'm now in the bullpen. Excited for this new task. Same game same concept.
— Corey Black (@CblackCHC) June 2, 2015
“I’ve heard bullpen the whole time since I was drafted,” Black said. “They talked about it to me a little in the offseason. They told me they see me as a big-league closer or a set-up guy, so when they wanted to make that move, it was going to happen.”
#CoreyBlack #tennesseeSmokies #bullpen pic.twitter.com/9u7z75Rj9r
— Cup Of NooDy (@CupofNooDy) June 7, 2015
Black opened the season as the No. 16-ranked prospect in the Cubs’ minor league system, with just four pitchers ranked ahead of him. The Cubs already pulled No. 5 prospect C.J. Edwards to the pen to begin the season. They wanted Black to get some more innings under his belt and give some of their other pitching prospects more work at the Low-A and High-A level. By mid may, they’d seen enough.
“Just based on looking at him (Black) out of the pen the other day, it’s a good move,” Smokies manager Buddy Bailey said. “I think he’s excited for it and he delivered the goods the other day. (His first time out) was probably the best he’s pitched while he’s been here in back-to-back innings. He really commanded the ball. He kept it down and he was controlling himself and controlling his pitches. His sequence looked really good too. He worked the hitters perfectly.”
Since moving to the pen, Black’s really only struggled once, giving up three hits and four runs to the Birmingham Barons on June 9. In four other relief appearances, Black has given up a total of three hits and no runs with six strikeouts.
I learn from this game everyday. Bad outings always help and make me a better player. Learn from the… https://t.co/AseDtEn5ma
— Corey Black (@CblackCHC) June 10, 2015
“I don’t really have to pace myself anymore,” Black said. “As a starter, you have to do that. Now it’s just about coming into different situations and learning how to handle them. Coming out of the bullpen is fun for me.”
As a top prospect, Black is used to some attention from the media, but this summer he got a spotlight put on him that no pitcher wants. In a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants, Black went a little too far inside on an inside pitch and hit Giants right fielder Hunter Pence in the left arm, breaking it. Black was devastated that he hurt another player.
Lost for words. Hope you heal fast @hunterpence hitting someone is never a good feeling. Hurting someone is even worse.
— Corey Black (@CblackCHC) March 6, 2015
“In spring training, you’re trying to make a name for yourself,” Black said. “I walked two guys and then I hurt somebody. It makes you look really bad. I felt terrible. Nobody is trying to do crazy stuff. You’re just trying to get back into the groove and get out of spring training healthy. Hurting somebody and taking away a month or two of their season, it gets to you.”
Pence knew that and reached out to Black through a Cubs’ coach and in social media, making it clear that he understood it was something that happens in baseball and there were no hard feelings.
@CblackCHC It happens my friend. Thanks for the concern, it's a part of the game we love. No slowing down!
— Hunter Pence (@hunterpence) March 6, 2015
“He (Pence) wanted to make sure I was OK,” Black said. “He knows I’m a young guy and it kind of got in my head a little bit. You never want to hurt somebody, especially somebody like that. The next couple of days were pretty hectic. It’s always in the back of my mind that I did something like that, but you can’t keep thinking about it.”
Of course it’s a constant danger faced by every pitcher and batter in baseball and one that every pitcher, sooner or later, will likely have to deal with. According to Black, his next two outings after hurting Pence were disastrous, but he pulled it together. And after a solid two months in the Smokies starting rotation, the Cubs saw enough to move him on to the next stage of his career.
“They (the Cubs) want me to get used to this, and then hopefully I can move on up (to Class AAA),” Black said. “I’m not going to worry about that. I’m going to go out there and pitch whenever I’m called on and do the best of my ability. You can’t read their minds, because you never know.”
Nationally Televised Game and Live Blog
Thursday night the Tennessee Smokies will host the Mississippi Braves in CBS Sports Net’s Minor League Game of the Week and I’ll be Live Blogging it live from the pressbox of Smokies Stadium right here at GetMoreSports.com. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.
