Interview With Tyler Blandford

Tyler Blandford is a right handed pitcher in the Mariners organization. He is now 22 and he will be turning 23 in January. Born in Owensboro, Kentucky where he attended Daviess County High School. He was than drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2006 but decided to attend college at Oklahoma State University. He played three years of college ball and was then drafted by the Mariners in the 5^th round of the 2009 draft. He finished last year with the Clinton Lumberkings. He suffered an arm injury that sidelined him over half the season. He pulled is latissmus dorsi (lat) and was sent to Peoria to rehab for the rest of the season. He is ready to play now and has been working hard this offseason. Best of luck to Tyler this season!

When deciding on a college to attend, what other colleges were you interested in and why did you choose OSU?

I considered LSU, Winthrop, and Middle Tennessee State. I chose OSU due to me playing on a summer team called Midland Redskins. % other guys on the team were committed to OSU and I saw that we had a chance to be really good. Did a little more research on the program and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to play for a program with that much tradition, plus the head/pitching coach there had a great reputation and large success on turning out big leaguers.

You were majoring in sports management at OSU. How did studying this affect your view of baseball and what goes on behind the scenes?

I really didn't too deep into my major at school, it was until last year my first pro season that I realized how big a business baseball is. Everything from TV deals to ticket sales, it’s amazing how big a business an origination is, the average person would be shocked to see what all it takes to run an organization.

In college you saw time in both the bullpen and as a starter. Which did you enjoy more?

In college I enjoyed starting more due to the fact that it was enjoyable knowing the confidence you instilled in a team on the day you had to pitch. I’ve come to realize that my future will be in the bullpen, that’s the type of pitcher I am. I would definitely enjoy this more due to the fact of coming to the park everyday expecting to play. Plus I love the adrenaline of coming out of the bullpen.

Tell me about your crazy signing day with the Mariners and the last minute call with Zduriencik?

An unbelievable feeling when you try to work something out for 2-3 months and you see no resolution to it until the final second theres a deal done. Regional scout Mark Lumas really kept the deal alive all summer just by keeping my sane through it, a lot of credit and thanks to him for all his help. 

You are often categorized as a power pitcher. Do you agree with this? What is that fastest you’ve thrown that you know of?

I would consider myself a power pitcher, theirs rarely a pitch I throw in a game that is not 90-95 percent effort level. I believe in college there were several times I was up to 98-99 mph.

Tell us about your first professional season with the Lumberkings. Were you pleased with the results?

My first professional season didn't go nearly as planned due to injury. It was a disappointment for me but definitely something I can learn from. For the first time in my career I could really coach myself on mechanics, feeling my body if I'm doing things right or not. My pitching coach Dwight Bernard at Clinton was the best at what he does and helped me tremendously.

Who was your favorite player to play with this season on and off the field?

James Gilheeney and Daniel Cooper were probably my favorite guys to play with and hang with outside of the field. Those guys really helped the time go by at the field and outside the field.

Will you be attending the instructional mini-camp that you attended last year before spring training again this year? What kind of work do you do at this camp?

I will not be attending mini camp this year. I will definitely take advantage of the extra month to myself to development pitching and physically wise. At mini camp you do your throwing program, PFP's and throw several bullpens. You also do the weight training the Mariners have.

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

#1 goal and most importantly stay healthy the entire season. I believe the rest will come as long as I stay healthy. But for fun pending that I move to the bullpen, Strike every hitter I face out! Seriously!

Could you tell me about your golfing hobby? What’s the furthest you’ve driven a ball?

Love me some golf, definitely a great way to get away from things is by hitting the course. I got a talent for hitting the ball pretty far, I’ve had a few drives around 375-380 but consistently I'll hit a ball about 340-360.

Tell me about the River City Baseball Camp that you helped out at in October? Did you have any opportunities like that as you were growing up?

It was a local camp here in Owensboro that one of local high school coaches put on. It was good to give back and help the youngsters out. I went to several camps when I was younger, one that I can remember was when I was 12, the Mickey Owen Baseball School in Florida.

One last question: What was your favorite moment from your first professional season?

Favorite moment had to be my last outing before I got injured. Everything came together and I threw the ball great. It was nice seeing my mechanics develop and watching the results from it.