Appel Makes Mark on NECBL, Draft
By Don Leypoldt
In the time it takes you to order your daily latte, Mark Appel’s life will probably change forever.
Appel, a 6’4” junior right hander from Stanford, is expected to be one of the first – if not THE first - picks of the June 4th Major League Draft.
“I have tried to become my own pitcher, but there are definitely guys I enjoy watching and try to learn from when I see them on TV,” said Appel, who starred for the Newport Gulls in 2010.
“I got the opportunity through our pitching coach Rusty Filter, to meet Stephen Strasburg. He was an NECBL guy also after his freshman year,” Appel reminded. “He is dominant on the mound, but a very humble and soft-spoken guy off the mound which is cool, that he can have that mentality while he is playing and then go out and be a great guy off the field.
“And Justin Verlander, is someone I enjoy watching. The way he attacks batters is really something to watch. I’m amazed,” Appel noted, “that he is throwing harder in the ninth inning than he is in the first. I think my style is similar to his, to go right after the batter and throw his best stuff. If they hit it, they hit it, and just attack the next guy.”
There is a common thread between Strasburg, Verlander and Appel. All three are listed as 6’4” or 6’5”. All are college righties. All were- or in Appel’s case are expected to be- one of the first pitchers taken in their draft.
“It's looking like three years at Stanford will have done him a whole lot of good as he's lining up as a potential frontrunner to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2012,” assessed MLB.com. “Appel has the complete package of size, stuff and ability to throw strikes. His fastball is a plus pitch now, which sits comfortably in the mid-90s and the scary thing is there might be room for a little bit more as he matures and fills out,” continued MLB.com, who ranked Appel as the top collegiate prospect in this Draft. “The ball explodes out of his hand with a free and easy delivery and his fastball has above-average movement to boot. He's got an outstanding hard slider with late tilt that he can bury down in the strike zone and his circle changeup is at above-average as well, bottoming out when his mechanics are right. He can throw all three for strikes and gets very high marks for his poise and aggressiveness.” Despite the hype and bushels of radar guns at his starts, Appel remains grounded and focused on the things that he can control. “Honestly, we try not to focus on it at all,” Appel offered. “We’re focusing on the next day, next game and taking it by pitch by pitch. We’re trying to win a Pac-12 championship, make Regionals and hopefully go to Omaha and win a national championship. That’s where our mindset is.” Much has been made of the possibility that Stanford could produce the first pick of the Draft in both football (Andrew Luck) and baseball. “It makes it a lot easier having a bunch of guys who are in the same position I am with the Draft,” Appel observed. “We can relate to each other, support each other and want each other to go as high as possible. But that being said, our complete focus is on the season right now.” Appel’s focus and teammates have helped him deal with the Draft hoopla and distractions. But far more significantly, Appel’s strong Christian faith has also kept the righty grateful and grounded.
“There are so many things that could have gone differently, but they went they way they did and I find myself where I am, two quarters away from graduation, getting a Stanford degree and with the opportunity to play professional baseball,” mused Appel. “It’s truly a blessing and I wouldn’t be where I am without God’s hand in my life.
“One of my favorite verses is Romans 8:28: ‘For God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.’ I see myself as someone who loves God and wants to glorify Him in all that I do. I honestly believe that He will cause all things to work together for my good, whether that is playing baseball or doing something else. I know that wherever I am,” Appel concluded, “He will give me a platform to glorify Him and I will try and do everything I can to do that.”
Newport Gull GM Chuck Paiva was hardly taking a leap of faith when he signed Appel in 2010. The decorated Appel was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round out of high school- ironically four rounds after they selected another Gull hurler, Adam Wilk. Baseball America named Appel one of their top 100 prep players in the country.
Appel was born in Houston and moved to Northern California when he was 12. Although he signed with the Cardinal, Appel’s family featured a parliament of Rice Owls, either as graduates or employees. Rice was “absolutely in the mix” when Appel picked his college.
“We told all of the scouts that Stanford is a very unique opportunity and if you think you can offer something more unique than Stanford, then go ahead and draft me and we’ll negotiate,” Appel stated. “But that was our nice way of saying that academics are very important to us and getting a degree- especially a Stanford degree- is something very high on our priority list.”
Appel more than validated his prep pedigree at Cardines Field. He was named the League’s second best pro prospect- behind only Gull and Stanford teammate Kenny Diekroeger- in a summer where he posted a 6-1 record and a 1.87 ERA that was good for sixth best in the NECBL.
“There is just so much about that summer. All of the friends that I made on the team. The coaches were great. The town was great. The crowds were great,” Appel recalled. “I remember the 4th of July game and fireworks, and going to the beach in the off-days.
“Honestly, I think playing in the NECBL and playing for Newport is where my career really took a turn for the better. I learned how to pitch versus just throwing the ball. I really worked on my off-speed pitches, having command of those, and attacking the inside half of the plate. As far as a baseball standpoint, it was one of the best summers of my life and as far as a life standpoint, it was one of the best summers of my life.”
Freshman Appel arrived in Newport as a nice piece of the Stanford bullpen. Sophomore Appel arrived back in Palo Alto as a nasty Friday starter in one of the nation’s toughest baseball conferences. The ex-Gull had a 3.02 ERA in 17 starts as a sophomore; Appel credited his time in the NECBL for facilitating that transition.
“Without a doubt,” he responded. “I think coming to Newport and getting a lot of innings, learning how to start and being in a rotation really allowed me to understand what it took to start at the collegiate level, but also it gave me a little bit of confidence and made being a starter in the weekend rotation a goal of mine during my sophomore year.”
That season helped Appel earn a berth on Team USA in the summer of 2011. The national team conducted a week-long tour through the NECBL last June; Appel got to return to his stomping grounds at Cardines, this time as a “rival.”
“It was such a huge honor. I’m so thankful that they gave me the opportunity, and that God blessed me with the talents and opportunities to play for Team USA,” Appel said humbly. “It was just, such a fun summer. Getting to play with all of the top guys from around the country was truly a treat. Learning from them and watching go out and compete every day was definitely a lot of fun.
“That’s what I tried to take from Team USA,” Appel continued. “I didn’t go out there with any expectations of what was going to happen. I just wanted to take it day by day, have fun, make new friends and just really, really enjoy every single moment that I got to be out there with all of those guys and getting to wear ‘USA’ across my chest. It was a huge blessing that I got to experience that last summer.”
The Cardinal refers to Stanford as “The Farm”; Appel will likely soon be going from one Farm to a Big League Farm. Although some crops take a lot of time to germinate, Appel’s arsenal and makeup position him to quickly yield fruit for his Major League Club.
