Mark Appel to make MLB debut with Phillies nine years after getting drafted No. 1
Mark Appel was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley by the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, setting the stage for the No. 1 pick in the 2013 MLB Draft to finally make his major league debut.
Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson told reporters Friday night that Appel is getting called up due to reliever Connor Brogdon landing on the COVID-19 list. Appel, who turns 31 next month, celebrated the news Saturday morning on Twitter.
Appel was a two-time All-American pitcher at Stanford before he was picked first overall by the Houston Astros in 2013. After struggles early in his career in the minor leagues, Appel was traded to the Phillies in December 2015 as part of a deal that sent pitcher Ken Giles to Houston. After the trade, Appel dealt with injuries before stepping away from baseball in 2018.
"I'm pursuing other things, but also trying to become a healthy human," Appel told Bleacher Report at the time. "I'm 26, I have a Stanford degree, I have many interests beyond baseball, which I still love, but I have a lot of things I care about. I enjoy challenging my mind. My last four years in baseball have challenged my mind."
More than three years later, Appel decided to pursue a comeback and spent the 2021 season with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. This season, Appel has a 5-0 record in the minors with a 1.61 ERA.
The Phillies have back-to-back games on the road against the San Diego Padres this weekend before a three-game series at home against the Atlanta Braves.
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