Time for Philadelphia Phillies to give Mark Appel a chance

Mark Appel was done. The former first overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Astros, he had walked away from the Philadelphia Phillies, and baseball entirely, in January 2018 to return to college and pursue his MBA. In doing so, he joined Steve Chilcott and Brein Taylor as the only players selected first overall to fail to reach the majors.

But there was another chapter to be written. Appel returned to the Phillies in 2021, attempting once again to find his way to the majors. He struggled after those three years away, posting a 6.06 ERA and a 1.612 WHiP in his 71.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, but he was in a better headspace.

Philadelphia Phillies could look to solve bullpen issues with Mark Appel

This year has been much better. Appel has been converted to the bullpen and has found success in Triple-A, posting a 1.67 ERA and a 0.963 WHiP in his 27 innings, striking out 23 batters with just eight walks and allowing only two homers. He has even notched the first five saves of his professional career.

Meanwhile, the Phillies bullpen has been an abject disaster. Corey Knebel was removed from the closer role and put into low leverage situations. They desperately need to find competent arms in every area in the bullpen, from those middle innings to the ninth inning.

It may be time that Appel gets his chance. He is in the midst of one of his longer streaks of success as a professional, having worked hard to battle his way back. The Phillies may as well ride the hot hand, even if that success is coming at Triple-A.

At 30 years old, he is no longer a prospect. It is highly doubtful that he will ever live up to the hype he had when he was taken with that first overall selection. Nonetheless, he can still carve out a solid major league career if his success at Triple-A can translate at the next level. At this point, he deserves that chance.

Mark Appel has finally found success as a reliever in Triple-A. Considering the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen woes, he deserves a look in the majors.