metbaseball: Is Blake Forsythe Stuck in A-Ball?

A player I haven't been able to get excited about this season is Blake Forsythe, whom the Mets drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft. In his first two pro seasons, he's played with the GCL Mets, the Cyclones, and the Sand Gnats. At Savannah, he's managed only a .219 average, a .309 OBP, and a .353 slugging percentage. In 92 Minor League games, he's struck out 103 times and hit only six homers, three this season.

The three catchers drafted just after him in 2010 are hitting better.

Forsythe was drafted with the 89th pick. The Cubs drafted Micah Gibbs with the 97th pick, the Tigers drafted Rob Brantly with the 100th pick, and the Phillies drafted Cameron Rupp with the 108th pick. This season, Gibb's is batting .256 in the Midwest League; Brantly is averaging .287, also in the Midwest League; and Rupp's hitting .227 in the Sally League.

Forsythe has hit better, much better.

Here's how Forsythe hit while playing at the University of Tennessee:

In 2010 he hit .286 with 15 homers but struck out 54 times in 55 games.
In 2009 he hit .347 with 15 homers but struck out 52 times in 55 games.
In 2008 he hit .173 with no homers and struck out 21 times in 22 games.

Since the 2010 season, Forsythe hasn't been the same hitter he was in 2009.

In a newspaper article published in June 2010, Forsythe is quoted as saying "I'm a hard worker, and I'm going to go out there and give it everything I've got." Unfortunately, something's slowing his progress. The sooner the Mets can get him back to hitting as he did in 2009, the better it will be for an organization in need of good-hitting catchers.

Blake Forsythe's 2011 stats in the Sally League: