Mark Appel, the former first-round pick by the Phillies, has been called up, the team announced to reporters Friday night. Appel later confirmed the news on social media:
For Appel, this marks the end of a journey to the majors that has many unexpected detours. He was initially selected by the Tigers out of high school in 2009, but he decided to enroll at Stanford. He was one of the best pitchers in collegiate baseball by 2012, but the Pirates selected him with the eighth overall choice that year due to speculation that he wouldn’t sign. He persisted in his studies and, along with Kris Bryant and Jon Gray, was regarded as one of the top three collegiate prospects going into the 2013 draft. He would ultimately go to the Astros first, with Bryant going to the Cubs second and Gray to the Rockies third.
In his 12 starts in High-A in 2014, Appel struggled and recorded a 9.74 ERA. He continued to pitch in the Arizona Fall League that year, and in Double-A and Triple-A in 2015, he was more average than dreadful.
However, by the spring of 2016, he had not been ranked among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects (Bryant, meanwhile, had won Rookie of the Year and was beginning his MVP season — facts that started to cause the general public to view Appel as a bust by the end of the year). In the deal that sent Ken Giles to the Astros, he was dealt with the Phillies.
Appel was designated for assignment and then immediately removed from the Phillies’ 40-man roster following a fairly poor 2017 campaign. He ultimately decided to retire from baseball, although he was careful to avoid using the word “retired.”
Appel makes a reappearance in 2021. In the end, he pitched to a cumulative 6.06 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over eight appearances in Double-A and 15 in Triple-A.
However, Appel has a 1.61 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 28 innings this season while pitching in Triple-A. Without taking a single loss, he has made five saves and won five games in relief. For the Phillies to begin his major league career, he won’t likely be a high-leverage reliever, but given their late-inning struggles, there is a chance for a fantastic, feel-good narrative if he sticks and manages to accumulate significant innings.
