His fastball is just flat according to everything I've read. Almost all of his strikeouts have been on sliders and his 4 seam isn't missing any bats.
No #1 pitcher has ever looked this bad. It is hard to give up hits at the rate Appel has this season. I can't believe nobody picked him to throw in the HR derby.
Not to mention he could have been the #1 pick two years ago as well... so it wasn't as if he was just coming off one great college season... had enough confidence in his skills to re-enter the draft and get "better". Now its all falling apart (for whatever reason).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Appel had more "bad luck" tonight than his other starts, if you want to know. But the stuff & mechanics -- nope.</p>— Ron (@Rontrarian) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rontrarian/statuses/489613865148104705">July 17, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Are these guys hammering Appel or something? Only shows 3 extra base hits all game and he only gave up 1 walk.
if aiken and appel both turn out to be flops then what the hell has luhnow done that he deserves so much credit?! how many gms couldnt have back to back #1 picks and have the ability to trade away anyone on the team
There is clearly something going on with Appel. Either physical, mental, or mechanical, probably a combination of the 3. It's not that he's struggling, it's the magnitude of his struggles. I'd imagine there aren't many pitchers period that are pitching as badly as him, regardless of draft position. He may be a bust, but there is absolutely no way he is simply overmatched by A-Ball. He can't make any more starts in Lancaster. The Astros don't have to answer to anybody, we all know some picks are given preferential treatment. Promote him to CC, or shut him down if you need to. Just do something to get his mind right.
Agreed. There is no algorithm or computer formula for how to handle Appel right now... in fact, they should probably reach out to Nolan or Clemens to personally help the kid work through this (otherwise, why even have them in the organization?). I think Luhnow has scratched his head enough on this issue and has come up short in potential solutions (other than "lets keep throwing him out there... one or two more good starts, and we can promote him!")... but Jeff has more pressing/urgent things to tend to at the moment.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/stor...pects?ex_cid=InsiderTwitter_Law_Top50July2014 3. Carlos Correa, SS | Houston Astros Age: 19 | Current Level: High A (Lancaster) Preseason Ranking: 4 Correa was in the midst of a remarkable season as a 19-year-old in the high-A California League (albeit in a great hitter's park) when he broke one of his fibulas on a hard slide. That's a shame in so many ways: Correa's continued to improve his profile as a prospect at every stop, playing better and better defense and giving himself a real shot to stay at short once he gets to the big leagues. His plate discipline and power have both progressed more quickly than even Correa's fans in the scouting community expected. I'm hoping there's no long-term impact from the injury -- there shouldn't be -- but since Correa was never a plus runner there's at least a small risk this hurts his range and quickness at short. 33. Mark Appel, RHP | Houston Astros Age: 22 | Current Level: High A (Lancaster) Preseason Ranking: 11 It's been a dismal year for Appel, whose raw stuff is fine but command has been off, in part due to a series of health issues. He had an offseason appendectomy to a nerve issue in a finger on his pitching hand as well as wrist tendonitis that required a cortisone shot a few weeks ago. He's still up to 97-98 and around the plate, but his feel for his slider has slipped with the finger and wrist issues, and he's giving up too much hard contact. He shouldn't be in Lancaster at all -- it's a horrible place to pitch -- but also needs to get 100 percent healthy before we're going to see the potential he showed at Stanford. 47. Rio Ruiz, 3B | Houston Astros Age: 20 | Current Level: High A (Lancaster) Preseason Ranking: N/A Ruiz is one of the ten youngest position players in the Cal League, so even though he's hitting in one of the minors' silliest ballparks -- the whole team is hitting .292/.375/.453 this year, and hit .289/.384/.469 last year -- his performance is still promising, especially with such a high contact rate. He's adequate at third base, with good hands and a plus arm but mediocre range, good enough to stay there but unlikely to ever be plus. The potential with the bat makes him a potential above-average regular or star even in an outfield corner.
Just coming to post that. ^^ 1. Kris Bryant(Cubs) 2. Byron Buxton(Twins) 3. Carlos Correa, SS | Houston Astros Age: 19 | Current Level: High A (Lancaster) Preseason Ranking: 4 Correa was in the midst of a remarkable season as a 19-year-old in the high-A California League (albeit in a great hitter's park) when he broke one of his fibulas on a hard slide. That's a shame in so many ways: Correa's continued to improve his profile as a prospect at every stop, playing better and better defense and giving himself a real shot to stay at short once he gets to the big leagues. His plate discipline and power have both progressed more quickly than even Correa's fans in the scouting community expected. I'm hoping there's no long-term impact from the injury -- there shouldn't be -- but since Correa was never a plus runner there's at least a small risk this hurts his range and quickness at short. 4. Addison Russell(Cubs) 5. Corey Seager(Dodgers) 6. Francisco Lindor(Indians) 7. Jonathan Gray(Rockies) 8. Javier Baez(Cubs) 9. Archie Bradley(Diamondbacks) 10. Carlos Rodon(White Sox) 11. Miguel Sano(Twins) 12. Dylan Bundy(Orioles) 13. Hunter Harvey(Orioles) 14. Lucas Giolito(Nationals) 15. J.P. Crawford(Phillies) 16. Noah Syndergaard(Mets) 17. Julio Urias(Dodgers) 18. Joey Gallo(Rangers) 19. Kohl Stewart(Twins) 20. Tyler Glasnow(Pirates) 21. Kyle Zimmer(Royals) 22. Joc Pederson(Dodgers) 23. Henry Owens(Red Sox) 24. Raul Mondesi, Jr.(Royals) 25. Nick Gordon(Twins) 26. Braden Shipley(Diamondbacks) 27. Blake Swihart(Red Sox) 28. Jorge Soler(Cubs) 29. Josh Bell(Pirates) 30. Tyler Kolek(Marlins) 31. Jorge Alfaro(Rangers) 32. Michael Conforto(Mets) 33. Mark Appel, RHP | Houston Astros Age: 22 | Current Level: High A (Lancaster) Preseason Ranking: 11 It's been a dismal year for Appel, whose raw stuff is fine but command has been off, in part due to a series of health issues. He had an offseason appendectomy to a nerve issue in a finger on his pitching hand as well as wrist tendonitis that required a cortisone shot a few weeks ago. He's still up to 97-98 and around the plate, but his feel for his slider has slipped with the finger and wrist issues, and he's giving up too much hard contact. He shouldn't be in Lancaster at all -- it's a horrible place to pitch -- but also needs to get 100 percent healthy before we're going to see the potential he showed at Stanford. 34. Brandon Nimmo(Mets) 35. David Dahl(Rockies) 36. Robert Stephenson(Reds) 37. Daniel Norris(Blue Jays) 38. Jameson Taillon(Pirates) 39. Jose Peraza(Braves) 40. Austin Meadows(Pirates) 41. Joe Ross(Padres) 42. Alex Meyer(Twins) 43. Alex Jackson(Mariners) 44. Taylor Guerrieri(Rays) 45. Aaron Judge(Yankees) 46. Andrew Heaney(Marlins) 47. Rio Ruiz, 3B | Houston Astros Age: 20 | Current Level: High A (Lancaster) Preseason Ranking: N/A Ruiz is one of the ten youngest position players in the Cal League, so even though he's hitting in one of the minors' silliest ballparks -- the whole team is hitting .292/.375/.453 this year, and hit .289/.384/.469 last year -- his performance is still promising, especially with such a high contact rate. He's adequate at third base, with good hands and a plus arm but mediocre range, good enough to stay there but unlikely to ever be plus. The potential with the bat makes him a potential above-average regular or star even in an outfield corner. 48. Lewis Brinson(Rangers) 49. Dominic Smith(Mets) 50. Jose Berrios(Twins)
Most of the scouts you hear from still view Appel pretty highly, it just seems this year has been a catastrophic storm of things combined with the horror of Lancaster. Since his return 6 of his 7 starts have been at the Hangar. At this point is almost impossible to make an argument for him being the number 1 pick over Bryant, but all hope for him being a really good pitcher certainly isn't lost. Neither one has done anything in the show yet, so time will tell. I'm also curious to see if other scouts share the same view of Ruiz. I figured most of them would simply scoff at good Lancaster numbers, but maybe he has showed something to cause improved opinions.
