Phillies: Mark Appel appears in first outing since 2017

While the Philadelphia Phillies game Saturday evening against the Atlanta Braves was one to forget,  their Double-A affiliate’s game was anything but — especially for starting pitcher Mark Appel.

The former No. 1 overall pick made his first professional appearance since September 2, 2017, and his first start since July of that year. The right-hander is attempting a comeback with the Phillies after taking an “indefinite break” from baseball nearly four years ago. In 2 2/3 innings, he allowed three hits, two walks, and just one run, while striking out four batters.

Phillies prospect Mark Appel makes his long-awaited return to the mound.

“Just being aware of my emotions throughout the day, it was just excitement,” Appel told reporters after the game. “I’ve put in so much time. It’d be one thing if I just decided three months ago and boom all of the sudden I’m back. This has been a process for over two years of wanting to come back. I’ve been putting in the work every single day over the last 2 1/2 years. This is just kind of a result of it, but the work doesn’t stop here.”

Appel thinks his first outing back was “really good,” and that he was happy with a lot of things. “I’m just excited for the progression of the season and being able to keep working and see where that takes me, honestly,” he added. “I would love to be able to be a starter again. Be able to go seven, eight, nine innings like I did back in college and have command and velocity and all the things I think I could still have, but I’ve still got to do all the work to get there. I know I’m giving it my best effort.”

The Phillies acquired Appel from the Houston Astros in December 2015, as part of the Ken Giles trade that also landed them Vince Velasquez, among other players. Velasquez, coincidentally, was the big-league team’s starting pitcher on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Appel had been working out at Driveline Baseball since he stepped away. He aims to avoid joining a short list of just two other former No.1 overall picks that never reached the majors — Steven Chilcott (1966, Mets) and Brien Taylor (1991, Yankees).