Appel and teammates find strength in their faith
CLEARWATER, Fla. Mark Appel sat at his locker in the Phillies clubhouse with his hood up and a pair of headphones tucked into his ears. The pitching prospect paged through a copy of the Bible the morning before boarding a chartered bus to make his final start in major-league spring training.
CLEARWATER, Fla.
Mark Appel sat at his locker in the Phillies clubhouse with his hood up and a pair of headphones tucked into his ears. The pitching prospect paged through a copy of the Bible the morning before boarding a chartered bus to make his final start in major-league spring training.
Appel starts each morning in silence and reflection as he leans on his faith to help him navigate his path - which has not always been smooth - to the majors.
"Get my day started the right way," Appel said. "I think it's important being somebody that holds onto his faith, to spend time in the Bible every morning. If I claim to be a Christian and to follow Jesus, in order to live in joyful obedience, you have to know the words of God. I read it to study it, to understand it, but also to allow it to change my life."
Appel, whom the Phillies acquired this winter from Houston as part of the Ken Giles trade, is one of the handful of Phillies players who use faith not just as a crutch but as guidance. He spent the first three weeks in major-league spring training and showed promise before being reassigned to minor-league camp Thursday morning.
Houston drafted Appel first overall in 2013. But his time with the Astros was less than ideal. He had a 4.37 ERA last season in 25 starts between double A and triple A. The trade could provide Appel a fresh start. He will likely start the season at triple-A Lehigh Valley, a step away from the majors.
Appel's faith was tested throughout his time in the minors. Perhaps the stiffest challenge was the four months in 2014 he spent in single-A Lancaster, Calif., a small town in the state's high desert. The former No. 1 pick - a player who should breeze through the minors' lower ranks - was shelled for seven runs in less than two innings a month after allowing 10 runs in less than two innings.
He left the July start and thought about quitting. He asked himself why God had forgotten him. Appel returned alone to the clubhouse and cried. He grabbed every baseball he could find and pelted them through a piece of wood between two lockers. Appel fired more than 50 baseballs through the wall, looked at the damage, and cried some more. He then felt peace. Life was not over. Baseball was still being played. God's presence filled him, Appel said.
Appel fixed the wall the next morning using supplies he bought at a hardware store. The wall, Appel said, was like his heart. It was made stronger by the incident.
"I think faith is strengthened when you go through doubts," Appel said. "For many years, I kind of blindly believed. I believed nonetheless, but maybe I didn't know why I believed. Times like that make you ask yourself, 'Why? Why do I believe this? Why are you struggling?' I think that was a moment the Lord used to strengthen my faith and build my character."
David Buchanan posted a note last week to the clubhouse billboard that proved that Appel is not alone on his journey in faith. Buchanan was advertising a Friday night Bible study at his spring-training residence. The pitcher plans to post the note each week.
Buchanan thought of the idea as he prayed this offseason. Faith, he said, is his No. 1 focus in everything he does.
"It's kind of an awkward subject in the clubhouse sometimes," Buchanan said. "Guys are a little timid to talk about God. It just gets that more confident feeling to open up and be bold with their faith."
Daniel Stumpf, whom the Phillies grabbed in December in the Rule 5 draft, covers his mouth with his mitt and mutters a prayer each time he completes his jog from the bullpen. The relief pitcher points to the sky before taking the mound, completing a ritual he has done his whole career.
Stumpf, who grew up in Texas, spent his childhood in church. His brother, Matthew, is a youth pastor. Stumpf said the Bible study allows him the chance to spend time with like-minded teammates and create "accountability partners."
"My faith is a big thing for me, especially on the field," Stumpf said. "I'm not just playing for the team. I'm out there, and I'm fortunate and lucky to play a game that I love knowing that I have Jesus Christ on my side. I give thanks in good times and the bad."
Appel said his time in Lancaster - which is on the western edge of the Mojave Desert - was a "desert moment." In the Bible, deserts are often described as places that force a person to become dependent on his faith.
"It was kind of symbolic how I was going through these struggles at the same time that I was in a literal, physical desert," Appel said. "It led me to dependence."
Appel said he could have easily given up. Instead, he stayed the course. He was not searching for sympathy during his time in the desert. It was a lesson, Appel said, that it was time to "right the ship." He made one more start before moving to double A, where he found better success.
The opposite to a desert moment, Appel said, would be a mountain moment. He has had some of those in his career. Being drafted first overall was a mountain moment, Appel said.
When he starts this season, he could find himself to be just a few months away from his major-league debut. That is every kid's dream, Appel said. And it would surely make for a mountain moment. By then, the desert would seem a world away.
"You just have to keep moving, keep working, and keep believing," Appel said.
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