Forsythe Taken 46th Overall in MLB Draft

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas junior Logan Forsythe was the 46th overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player’s Draft on Thursday afternoon by the San Diego Padres. Forsythe was joined by three Razorback recruits selected on the first day.

Forsythe was the final pick in the first round compensation draft and as the #46 pick overall is the second highest draftee by a Razorback player in the last 10 years trailing only first-team all-American Nick Schmidt who went 23rd in the 2007 draft.

Improving steadily throughout his three-year career in Fayetteville, Forsythe completed his junior season second on the Razorbacks in batting average at .351 after leading the squad as a sophomore. For the second straight season he led Arkansas in hits (65 in 2008) and drew 46 walks, a season best. He was named a First-Team all-SEC third baseman and was the Southeastern Conference’s Hitter of the Week on April 28 after he exploded against Ole Miss to collect seven hits and eight RBI. Three of his seven hits were home runs.

Arkansas signees that were selected on the first day include Tyler Sample by the Kansas City Royals in the third round, Braeden Schlehuber by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round and Colby Shreve by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round.

Sample was ranked as the #42 prospect coming into the draft by Baseball America and is a right handed pitcher from Elizabeth, Colo. At six foot, seven inches, he is an imposing figure on the mound which is aided by a low 90’s fastball and sharp breaking pitch. He attends Mullen High School but is coming off arm surgery. He was selected in the third round as the 80th overall pick by the Kansas City Royals.

A catcher from the College of Southern Nevada, Schlehuber was the 130th pick overall and a fourth round draft choice by the Atlanta Braves. He isvery good defensively with a strong arm. Last season he caught more than 40 percent of would-be base stealers while hitting three home runs.

Shreve is another right-handed pitcher who is also enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada. He was a seventh round choice of the Atlanta Braves in the 2007 draft and improved one round to the sixth in 2008 as the 196th pick overall. A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, he was 5-2 as a freshman with 2.78 earned run average and 59 strikeouts in only 58.1 innings.

The 2008 MLB draft continues on Friday with a majority of the first-year draft. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit www.hogwired.com.