The Phillies’ Mark Appel makes ‘surreal’ big-league debut nine years after being No. 1 pick

It had been more than nine years since Mark Appel was baseball’s No. 1 pick. He struggled in the minors, quit in 2018, spent two years away from baseball, and came back as a long-shot minor-leaguer with the Phillies looking for a chance. And Wednesday night, he was finally on a big-league mound.

But first he had to figure out how to fit that pesky Pitchcom device — which sends signals from catcher to pitcher — into his cap.

» READ MORE: Mark Appel was once a can’t-miss prospect. Nine years later, the Phillies could finally make him a major leaguer.

“It took a little bit of time,” said Appel, who will be 31 on July 15. “Then I just tried to look around and soak it all in. Even coming out, the music is louder, the lights are brighter. The fans in Philadelphia are incredible. I heard people cheering for me and supporting me. It was a really special moment to have my big-league debut at home in Philadelphia.”

He retired three of the four batters he faced in the ninth inning of a 4-1 loss to Atlanta, earned his first career strikeout against Adam Duvall, and topped his fastball at 97.5 mph.

“It’s pretty surreal. I’m overwhelmed,” Appel said. “I felt like I almost cried. I was trying to hold back the tears. I think just having perspective and remembering two or three years ago, even if I was just trying to come back, it’s never been a straight line. I was lost. I felt like there were times when I was hopeless and that this dream would never happen. I was choking back tears.”

» READ MORE: Former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel called up by Phillies, finally gets his shot at the majors at age 30

Houston drafted Appel first overall in 2013 and traded him two years later to the Phillies. He struggled in the minors, battled shoulder injuries, and left the game before spring training in 2018. Appel traveled, watched his friends reach the majors, and tried to find a career that fit before he came back to baseball.

“That was a great moment. It really was,” said Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson. “He was pretty emotional coming off the mound. Well deserved. The guy has been through a lot. It’s a great story.”

The Phillies used Appel last year as a starter in triple A, where he posted a 6.17 ERA. His standing in the organization felt thin — the general manager who acquired him was no longer with the Phillies and his own performance didn’t make him a prospect — but Appel was granted a chance this year as a triple-A reliever.

Perhaps it was the right role as his velocity jumped and his performance — Appel had a 1.61 ERA in 28 innings — improved.

“This whole year has been so special for me,” Appel said. “Coming in, I was trying to figure out ‘Where do I fit in? What’s my role going to be?’ The fact that I have to go to Lehigh and learn how to be a reliever and have some success, that was fuel to my fire. I didn’t need a call-up for it to be a successful year for me to feel like I was where I needed to be. In that sense, this is all just extra. I’m just really thankful for it.”

Appel was called up to the majors last weekend in San Diego but had to wait until Wednesday to make his debut. He had to calm himself down as he loosened up in the bullpen and one of his first warmup pitches on the mound bounced off the backstop. Thomson was nervous, but Appel settled in.

“Pretty cool moment,” Rhys Hoskins said. “I told him on the bench that I’m sure the journey makes all of this sweeter. As many ups and downs you can have in nine years, it’s just really cool to see it all culminate. Him running in from the bullpen, I kind of snuck a peek at him before he reached second base and just a grin. You can’t keep it in.”