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Appel was Ready to Hang Up his Spikes, Now He's Making a Playoff Push

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Phillies
By Ben Silver | Last updated 8/25/22

It's easier to see why Mark Appel is still toiling away in the minor leagues at 31 years old. The senior of all of his Triple-A teammates but two, some might have thought it would be time for Appel to hang up his spikes, and before 2022, he did.

"I was wrestling with [the fact that] I made it through last year healthy. I didn't pitch great, I had a lot of fun, I stayed healthy, so there was enough to keep me like 'maybe I got another year in me,' Appel said. "But I said to myself, 'man if this year goes like it did last year, I'm probably gonna be done after 2022.'"

Even if Appel doesn't make it back to the Majors in 2022, the Philadelphia Phillies will still be grateful for his presence. Despite pitching only 10.1 innings, Appel provided a length to the bullpen that wasn't there before his promotion.

In those innings, the Houston, TX native allowed just two runs, pitching dominant long relief. It's the culmination of a dream that's been burning through professional baseball for almost a decade.

It was an ambition that was nearly snuffed out several years ago. After the 2017 season, just two years after coming to Philadelphia from Houston in a trade that included Vince Velasquez, Appel was out of professional baseball.

Labeled "the biggest bust in MLB history" at age-26, it's easy to understand how the pressure could be overwhelming. So Appel went back to his normal life, serving in his local church, fishing in Oregon, kayaking in North Carolina and experiencing what he had never gotten the chance to with baseball in the way.

Coming back to the sport in 2021, Appel was a changed man, more experienced, having weathered the hardships of minor league baseball for so long and now more balanced with the world outside of baseball.

It was a mentality apparent when Appel shared some of the lessons he had learned via Twitter in September 2021.

His maturity shines through when he talks about his trip the Majors. For many players, getting demoted after pitching so successfully would be hard to stomach. But Appel's mindset is healthy. He cherishes the ability that he's still around and able to play at such a high level.

"If my focus is just on getting back to Philly I'm going to miss out on things that are going on right here. I know for me to get back to Philly I just have to be present with where I'm at," he said. "Not worry about the things I can't control."

Appel came into 2022 as clay to be molded. Ready to pitch and meaningfully fulfill what he thought to be the back-end of his career, his transition to a bullpen piece went rather smoothly.

"I came into spring training being like 'Hey, beggars can't be choosers.' I just want to have a jersey on my back." He continued, "Whether that's starting, relieving, whatever. Whatever the Phillies think is gonna help them out the most."

In 37.1 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Appel's pitched to a 2.17 ERA, limiting walks and maximizing strikeouts. It's a distinct improvement from 2021 when he had a 6.06 ERA in 71.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A.

"I think being a reliever, it's a little less scheduled, it's a little less routine based. I think that chaos helped me a little bit."

The change has suited Appel, who's now able to rely more heavily on his two plus-pitches, his sinker and slider. Their tunneling action plays off each other to form a deadly two-pitch combo.

"I don't need to save anything today, I can just unload the tank, I don't need to get through six, I need to get through one or two," Appel said about his new outlook out of the bullpen.

"I'm enjoying it a lot."

With everything that Appel's gone through, it still would be understandable if he called it quits after 2022. He achieved one goal in making the Majors, now it's time to see if he can stay there.

"I'm sure I'll have my chance again in the future," Appel said about cracking the Phillies active roster, "Being in the big leagues is awesome."

But the IronPigs need him now too. Appel is one of the more experienced players on that roster, a mentor to some of the younger guys. If he was focused on the playoff push the Phillies were making, few would begrudge him that, but ever consistent, he brought up the IronPigs current standings.

"We got a playoff push down here too."