| Mark Appel | |
|---|---|
 Appel with the Houston Astros organization in 2014 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1991-07-15)July 15, 1991 (age 34) Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 29, 2022, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 2, 2022, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 1.74 |
| Strikeouts | 5 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Mark Stewart Appel (born July 15, 1991) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He was drafted by theHouston Astros with the first overall pick of the2013 MLB draft. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for thePhiladelphia Phillies.
After being drafted out of high school by theDetroit Tigers in 2009, Appel elected to attendStanford University and play for theStanford Cardinal baseball team. Named theNational Collegiate Baseball Writers Association'sPitcher of the Year in 2012, he was projected as the first overall draft choice in the2012 MLB draft, but fell in the draft due to signability concerns. Appel did not sign after being selected eighth overall by thePittsburgh Pirates, returning to Stanford for his senior season.
TheHouston Astros selected him with thefirst overall pick in the2013 MLB draft, and he signed with them. Appel was traded to the Phillies after the 2015 season. After continued struggles, he wasdesignated for assignment by the Phillies on November 20, 2017. In February 2018, at the age of 26, Appel announced that he was stepping away from baseball. He returned to the Phillies organization in March 2021 to attempt a comeback, and made his major league debut in June 2022.
Appel attendedMonte Vista High School inDanville, California,[1] where he played for the baseball and basketball teams.[2] Appel was arelief pitcher for Monte Vista's baseball team, making no appearances as astarting pitcher, because other pitchers on the team were thought to be more talented.[3][4]
TheDetroit Tigers selected Appel in the 15th round, with the 450th overall selection, of the2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.[5] Appel did not sign, as he was committed to attendStanford University.[6] At Stanford, Appel received a scholarship to playcollege baseball for theStanford Cardinal baseball team, competing in thePac-10 Conference. Appel began his collegiate career as a reliever, making 24 relief appearances, but also starting three games. He had a 5.92earned run average (ERA), as he allowed a .295batting average against and only recorded 26strikeouts in 38innings pitched.[3] He became a starting pitcher during his sophomore season.[7] In the summer of 2010, he played for theNewport Gulls of theNew England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), posting a 6–1win–loss record and 1.87 ERA in n43+1⁄3 innings.[3]
As a sophomore for Stanford in 2011, Appel had a 6–7 win-loss record with a 3.02 ERA in110+1⁄3 innings pitched.[1] After the 2011 season, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theYarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of theCape Cod Baseball League.[8] Going into his junior year in 2012,Collegiate Baseball named Appel a First TeamAll-American.[1] As a junior, he pitched to a 10–2 record and 2.56 ERA,[9] and won theNational Pitcher of the Year Award.[10] Appel was projected as a potentialfirst overall pick in the2012 Major League Baseball draft,[1] but reportedly rejected an offer from the Astros for a $6 millionsigning bonus. Due to the high perceived bonus demands, Appel fell in the draft to the eighth overall selection, where he was chosen by thePittsburgh Pirates. However, Appel did not sign with the Pirates before the July 13, 2012, deadline and instead played his senior year at Stanford.[9][11] He turned down an offer of a $3.8 millionsigning bonus.[12]
Appel graduated from Stanford after the fall semester, receiving abachelor's degree inmanagement science andengineering. For the Cardinal baseball team, Appel pitched to a 10–4 record with a 2.12 ERA andstruck out 130 batters in106+1⁄3 innings. The Pac-12 Conference honored him as their Scholar-Athlete of the Year.[12]
TheHouston Astros selected Appel with the first overall pick in the2013 Major League Baseball draft.[13] On June 19, he signed with the Astros for a signing bonus worth $6.35 million.[14] Appel made his professional debut in July with theTri-City ValleyCats of theLow-ANew York–Penn League.[15] After making two starts for Tri-City, the Astros promoted Appel to theQuad Cities River Bandits of theSingle-AMidwest League.[16] When Appel joined Quad Cities, teaming withCarlos Correa, this marked the first time that two consecutive first overall draft picks played for the same minor league team.[17][18] The Astros ended Appel's season in August, with approximately 140 innings pitched on the season, between college and minor league baseball.[19] For Tri-City and Quad Cities, Appel pitched to a 3–1 record in 10 games started, with a 3.79 ERA and 33strikeouts with ninewalks in 38 innings.[20]
The Astros invited Appel tospring training in 2014 as a non-roster player. Appel underwent anappendectomy in January, which delayed his preparations for the 2014 season.[21] He was reassigned to minor league camp, where he made his spring debut.[22] He started for the Astros in their final spring training game, throwing three scoreless innings against theRojos del Águila de Veracruz of theMexican League.[23] The Astros assigned Appel to theLancaster JetHawks of theHigh-ACalifornia League at the start of the regular season.[24] He struggled with his adaptation to the Astros' tandem starting rotation (under which an eight man rotation pitches every fourth game), and went to extended spring training after four starts.[25] After a month, he returned to Lancaster.[26] After pitching to a 2–5 record and a 9.74 ERA in 12 starts for Lancaster, the Astros promoted Appel to theCorpus Christi Hooks of theDouble-ATexas League.Jeff Luhnow, the Astros'general manager, noted Lancaster's "hostile pitching environment", and stated that it was the Astros' intention to have Appel pitch in Corpus Christi in 2014 regardless of his performance in Lancaster.[27] Appel finished the regular season with a 1–2 win–loss record and a 3.69 ERA in seven games for Corpus Christi. These struggles were attributed to command struggles and a low strikeout rate. The Astros then assigned him to theSalt River Rafters of theArizona Fall League after the season, where he had a 2.61 ERA and 24 strikeouts to eight walks in 31 innings pitched, while limiting opponents to a .167 batting average against.[28]
Appel began the 2015 season with Corpus Christi.[29] He was chosen to represent the Astros at the 2015All-Star Futures Game.[30] Appel pitched to a 5–1 record and a 4.26 ERA in 13 starts for Corpus Christi before the Astros promoted Appel to theFresno Grizzlies of theTriple-APacific Coast League in June.[31][32] Appel finished the 2015 season with a 4.48 ERA in 12 starts for Fresno.[33]
On December 12, 2015, the Astros traded Appel,Vince Velasquez,Brett Oberholtzer,Tom Eshelman, and Harold Arauz to thePhiladelphia Phillies in exchange forKen Giles andJonathan Araúz.[34] Appel began the 2016 season with theLehigh Valley IronPigs of the Triple-AInternational League.[35] In May 2016, he was placed on thedisabled list due to a shoulder injury. While rehabbing his arm, he injured his elbow. On June 29, 2016, he underwent season-ending surgery to remove abone spur from his elbow.[36]
The Phillies added Appel to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season.[37] Appel began the 2017 season with Lehigh Valley.[38] He suffered a shoulder injury in July, and returned to Lehigh Valley in September.[39] He ended the season with a 5–4 record and a 5.14 ERA in 17 games started.[40] The Philliesdesignated Appel for assignment on November 20, 2017.[41][42] On February 1, 2018, Appel announced that he would be stepping away from baseball at the age of 26. He was placed on the reserve/retired list.[43]
Beginning in March 2021, Appel attempted a comeback.[44] Assigned to theReading Fightin Phils of the Double-AEastern League to start the 2021 season, Appel went 0–1 with a 5.84 ERA over eight total appearances, including six starts, and was promoted to Lehigh Valley.[45] Appel returned to Lehigh Valley to start the 2022 season.[46]
On June 24, after a Phillies' loss to theSan Diego Padres, Appel was called up to the Major Leagues, replacingConnor Brogdon, who was placed on theCOVID-19 injured list; Appel had pitched to a 5–0 record and a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings for Lehigh Valley prior to his promotion.[47] Appel made his major league debut on June 29, pitching one inning of relief against theAtlanta Braves.[48] In six appearances during his rookie campaign, he logged a pristine 1.74 ERA with 5 strikeouts in10+1⁄3 innings pitched. Appel's season ended prematurely when he was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation on September 12.[49] On November 9, Appel was removed from the40-man roster and sent outright to Triple–A.[50] He elected free agency the following day.[51]
On January 24, 2023, Appel re-signed with the Phillies organization on a minor league contract.[52] Appel had an 11.12 ERA across six games in spring training and was released by the Phillies on March 20.[53] He underwent anarthroscopic procedure on his elbow in April and missed the entire season as a result.[54]
Appel was born inHouston,Texas. His family moved toSan Ramon, California, when he was 12 years old. Appel's father, Patrick, works as a lawyer for theChevron Corporation. Patrick and Appel's mother, Sondra, lived inBeijing andShanghai for a time. Appel has an older brother, John.[55] Appel is aChristian.[56]
