Black throws two variations of an average fastball and the velocity on his heater dipped in 2024 and hasn’t bounced back. Both his two- and four-seamers sit around 93 mph and top out at 96. Neither his low-80s sweeping slider nor his mid-80s cutter have been as effective in 2025 as they were last season, leaving him without a better than average offering.
Though Black also possesses a fading upper-80s changeup, it’s too firm and flat and he didn’t elicit a single swing and miss with the 91 cambios he threw last season. He slings his pitches from a low three-quarters delivery with quality extension that gives him deception without costing him the ability to throw strikes. He’s more of a back-of-the-rotation starter unless he regains some velocity and improves his command.