Matt Blackham is a reliever in the Mets system that the Mets drafted out of Middle Tennessee State in the 29th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. In 2019, he has split his season between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse and has an 8-2 record with a 2.60 ERA. He has allowed only 31 hits in 55.1 innings pitched and struck out 70.

Though he still needs to really harness it, Blackham has a good arsenal on the mound, and could be an option for the Mets' bullpen next season. I had the opportunity to sit down with Matt for about 15 minutes at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse for him to tell his story.

On his upbringing and baseball...

"My dad was big into baseball. I grew up in Utah and have three brothers and a sister. Baseball was pretty much all we did at least when I was younger. Played a lot of backyard baseball with my brothers, neighbors and friends, pretty much practicing every day my dad would allow me to. I started playing every day I could and it's kind of brought me to where I am today."

How he ended up at a junior college before going to Middle Tennessee State...

"I lived in Utah until I was 17 and my step dad got a promotion and I had the option to stay in Utah or have a new beginning and start over. I decided to go to Kansas with my step dad instead of staying in Utah, which I am grateful for. It gave me a new opportunity, a new motivation, new drive. I had my senior year there and only had two offers and chose to attend Johnson County where I ended up attending. I did well enough to get a few offers out of junior college and decided I wanted to go Middle Tennessee State. I thought the coach fit me and suit me very well and I liked his style and some of the things he believed in."

On filling multiple roles at Middle Tennessee State...

"I started my whole life, so it was the first time I ever pitched in relief. It was a tough transition and I struggled a lot honestly. Going back and forth I struggled early in the season, but you have to adjust and learn from it. You can't let it affect you and I allowed it to help me get better. When I got to Brooklyn I was a starter, got hurt and then they transitioned me to a reliever. I am happy that I was able to get that experience where I was more comfortable pitching out of the pen when I got to pro ball."

On his draft process...

"I didn't think I would get drafted. The Mets and Yankees were the only teams who gave me any indication that they might be interested in drafting me sometime on Day 3 so I didn't expect much. I did good enough the last month and a half or so, so I finished strong. I was expecting to play down in the Texas Collegiate League the entire summer and I started the night before Day 3 and my coach told me I could stay back and just throw and not travel with the team. I was staying at my host family's house and just checking the phone every five minutes on Twitter just refreshing seeing who was picked. It was the 29th round where I stopped and I had a bunch of anxiety where I said it probably isn't going to happen. About 3-to-5 minutes later, I got a phone call from my agent saying, 'Hey you got drafted by the Mets, congratulations.' At first, I thought he was messing with me because I tease people a lot and I thought it was a bit of payback. I thought he was kidding but then I started getting a bunch of phone calls and I realized it was real. My host family was out of town and my teammates were on the road so I was pretty much by myself. I had to decide if I was going to accept the offer to sign, and I did and immediately packed up the car and started to drive home to get ready to start my pro career."

On his experience in Brooklyn and being thrown into New York...

"Honestly, I wish more affiliates going up had an environment, attendance and fans like Brooklyn does. They do a great job, and obviously it's close to Citi Field but it's a great environment, they treat you well and they try to make friends with you. I loved everything about it. It was just a bummer that my season was cut short due to injury and I wasn't able to do the whole summer there."

On his elbow -- that made him miss 2016 -- and prior injuries

"I've had a handful of injuries. In high school, my elbow popped and they had to put a screw in there. Doctors told me not to play anymore and I said that wasn't an option. Doctors then said don't pitch anymore just play second base and I said that wasn't an option. I tried to play catch and the screw was stopping me from doing what I wanted to do, so I asked if we can get the screw out and they took the screw out about 7 months later and things started getting better. In 2016, the bone in the back of my elbow I think was slowly fracturing over time and it finally completely popped from one end to the other just playing long toss. I think over the time of the fracture it was messing up my nerve so that year I had ulnar nerve transposition like Jacob deGrom and others have had, and they had to put a screw in the back of my elbow as well. In college, I also tore my foot so there's been a lot of ups and downs."

On adjustments he's made mechanically that has helped with his improved control...

"Jeremy Accardo, who is now up with the big league club helping out, he lives in Arizona and was checking up on us at the Arizona Fall League and I was having trouble throwing my fastball for strikes last year. If I am not throwing strikes with my fastball, then I am not going to get as many swings and misses on my breaking ball and changeup. When he got there, he helped me right away, probably within one day he told me what I was doing wrong. He told me I was landing on the tip of my toes or my heel and not landing on the center of my plant foot so it was hard for me to finish consistently. I would throw to two batters really well and then I'd land on my heel or my toes and I couldn't throw a strike to save my life. He helped me watch some video and we straightened that out which I think helped a lot this year."

On the difference coming from Double-A to Triple-A...

"Everyone up here can hit it. On the scoreboard it shows how hard everyone hits the ball, so there's no escaping it. These guys can hit and they are attacking and if they don't attack they have a plan where they are looking for something. If you give them what they are looking for they are going to square it up."

On what he wants to work on and his future...

"Honestly in ways it's changed a lot from a few years ago. I am a big believer that I don't want a rally started against me. In the offseason I want to work on throwing up in the zone more with my fastball earlier in counts to use it to help me get ahead of hitters where I can use my secondary pitches to put people away. After my injury with the Mets, I was a day away from calling and telling them I was done playing. I went from thinking I was done to having a good year in Columbia. I never was a super confident person growing up so when I did well in Columbia, I started to get more confident and started to believe that I can be a big leaguer one day. Confidence has turned me into a different Matt Blackham and I think I am a great fit in New York, I know the fans are harsh on you if you are struggling and will love you if you are doing well. I love that stuff. It really motivates me and I have gotten really mentally strong overcoming the injuries that I have had. That is harder than someone telling me I am not good, and that will only help me get better and make me work harder to do everything I can help the Mets win ballgames."

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