CLEARWATER, Florida – Three years after moving away from baseball as a rare choice in the. 1 to never have reached the championship, Mark Appel is preparing for a comeback.
Appel, 29, will soon report to the Phillies compound for spring training in the secondary league, according to several sources. The Phillies still own Appel’s rights after he announced on February 1, 2018, that he would take an “indefinite break” from baseball. He was assigned for assignment after the 2017 season and was not claimed by the 29 other Major League Baseball teams.
Astros wrote Appel, a Houston native, for the first time overall in 2013 and envisioned him as a centerpiece in his ambitious reconstruction. So, they won the World Series without him participating. Appel was sincere about his mental struggles while the pressure of being number 1 pickaxe got heavier and heavier.
Only two don’t.