A Quick Chat With Mets 2010 Third Rounder C Blake Forsythe

Recently I was lucky enough to sit down with Mets 2010 third rounder C Blake Forsythe. The 20-year old brother of Padres '08 first rounder Logan Forsythe, Blake was taken 89th overall after a strong junior season as the backstop for the University of Tennessee where he slugged an impressive 15 home runs in under 200 ab's. However, upon his assignment to Brooklyn Forsythe struggled, batting just .238 with three homers in 30 games.

Forsythe and I spoke about leaning from thos initial struggles, playing in Brooklyn,  and more. Click on the 'Play' button below to listen in!

 
Click past the break for the full transcript of our chat.

Rob: So how's camp been for you so far?

Forsythe: We got here...actually I drove up on Wednesday, we had a nice little dinner. Yesterday we went through all the physicals, you know, all that kind of stuff to get us going. We had a light workout in the afternoon and now we're ready to go today.

Rob: Allright well looking back at your 2010 a bit, you came in as a pretty high round draft pick but you kind of scuffled a little bit at the start of your season; what do you think that was all about?

Forsythe: Well I think it was good for me to work my way into pro ball, just get a little feel of it. It helped me learn a lot of things about myself and about how the game is played at this level. You know, I think I'm gonna fit right in. I put more work in it this offseason, I had a good offseason. I think I'm more prepared this year and I'm just looking forward to the season.

Rob: You spent your time with Brooklyn once you signed last year and I know that's not quite like playing at some of the other minor league affiliates. That's a couple miles away from Citi Field. So how did you like playing for the Cyclones?

Forsythe: Brooklyn was amazing. It's a different place. I'm from Tennessee, I'm not used to that big city-type feel. But it was a good experience. They love baseball up there; great crowds, unbelievable fan support up there. I can't wait to go back there and play at Citi Field up there.

Rob: You mentioned that you're from Tennessee, you played at the University of Tennessee. What was that like because obviously that's a great program, lots of big leaguers come out of that problem. What was that like?

Forsythe: It was great. It was one of my dreams come true coming out of high school. I've always wanted to play in the SEC, my brother before me played in the SEC. That's where I wanted to be. Being my home state and representing the University of Tennessee was more than I could ask for. My three years there I had a blast, played some good baseball, just played with a bunch of great players. Like you said, I met a bunch of the big leaguers that played there before, got great advice, it's just an honor to be on that path that they took.

Rob: You mentioned your brother, he's another minor leaguer, another pro player. Do you use him as a resource because he's a couple years ahead of you so maybe he's been through the battles a little bit. Do you talk to him a lot about this sort of stuff?

Forsythe: Absolutely. Me and my brother are really close. Everything he's gone through, I've pretty much followed right behind him. Like I said, he played in the SEC, I followed right behind him. We played in high school together a little bit. But yeah anytime I come across a problem, anything I want to talk to on a one-to-one basis, I can always ask my brother. He's been through it, he's in the upper levels now, he's one step closer to the big leagues. So you know he's a great role model for me and he's always been there for me in my entire life.

Rob: In college you were a big-time power hitter and it just didn't seem to show up in the pros and standing here with you, you're a big guy! So I'm expecting that power to come, so is that something that you're looking at going into 2011?

Forsythe: Absolutely. That's part of my game and you know I took that into college and I plan on bringing that into pro ball. I look forward to this season and playing the game that I can and what they want me to. I think it's a complete package; I take a lot of pride in my catching as well and my hitting will be there too.