In 2013, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected pitcher Blake Taylor in the second round of that years MLB Draft. In his junior year of high school Blake was a starter on the JV team, but after his senior year, and after spending just one year on varsity, he had gotten revenge on the people who told him he couldn’t accomplish anything after being on varsity for just the lone season as he heard his name called by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the aforementioned draft. After a solid first professional season, his career took a huge turn on June 15th 2014, when he was traded by the Pirates to the New York Mets, completing the trade that sent former Mets first baseman Ike Davis to the Pirates earlier in the season. He’s been in the Mets system since then, but just over a year later Taylor’s career took another huge turn, this time when he found out he needed the most common surgery in baseball, Tommy John Surgery. Taylor’s recovery went fairly quickly, the surgery sidelined him for just a year, and right after he was cleared he worked himself to the point where he was able to find himself onto the Great Britain roster for the World Baseball Classic. I was able to catch up with the young lefty earlier this week:
Q (Weingarten)– What is it like to be back on the mound after a year of battling through such a tough injury?
A (Taylor)– There are no words to describe the feeling, it was just amazing to have made it through Tommy John.
Q– Now that you’re back to pitching you’re heading to the World Baseball Classic to represent Great Britain; how does it feel to be in that position?
A– I was super pumped to hear that I made it to the GB (Great Britain) roster. I have always wanted to represent a country and when I saw an opportunity I worked hard to make it happen, and all of the hard work and support paid off.
Q– What was it like to be traded to an organization like the Mets?
A– Well it was weird at first, but than I realized that there are 30 teams in the MLB and that both Pittsburgh and the Mets are both great organizations and I’ve had fun with both.
Q– Have you ever been to Citi Field for a Mets game?
A– I have never been but I would love to one day.
Q– Who is the one pitcher currently or previously in the MLB you compare your stuff too?
A– Well everyone is different in the way they pitch, but before the draft I was compared to Mark Mulder.
Q– You are entering your 20’s; where do you see yourself in the next few years?
A– I hope to see myself in the big leagues.
Q– Who were your favorite players growing up?
A– A couple of players I especially loved to watch were Trevor Hoffman and Randy Johnson.
Q– What was it like to go from JV to varsity to being drafted early in a matter of only a couple years?
A– Well it was a bit of an adjustment but you have to find ways to get through it.
Q– Name some of the best talent you have seen on the teams you have played for.
A– Jordan Humphreys, Reed Gamache, Austin Meadows, PJ Conlon, Corey Taylor.
Q– Who is Blake Taylor on and off the field?
A– On the field I’m a really competitive guy and off the field I’m an easy going person.
Blake Taylor is currently in the New York Mets minor league system, spending 2016 with the Kingsport Mets, and will be representing Great Britain in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
