(sorry for not googling it myself...) is fWAR cumulative or [insert adjective that means "based on an average"]?
Good for him, but the shiny era doesn’t really project him to the majors. He may well get a callup at some point but 7 k/9 against 2.5 bb/9 as a 30 year old RP in AAA isn’t really very good.
I'm surprised he's still hanging on to the dream. What do minor leaguers make? Certainly the traveling and time away from home has got to be pretty grueling, and the traveling accommodations are nowhere near what they are for MLB. I guess he just genuinely enjoys it and maybe he was actually wise with the signing bonus money on his #1 pick contract.
Appel is a very intelligent person who thinks and feels much more deeply than the average pro baseball player; personally I think that was his downfall on the mound. But he has almost certainly managed his money well. I honestly doubt he is playing “for the love of the game”. I think in his time away he started thinking about legacy and public perception and nostalgia and a lot of other stuff and it sucked him back in, only this time he’s mature enough to keep his mind focused enough to have some moderate on-field success.
Pitching IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP ERA Gerrit Cole 2.1 8 7 7 2 3 5 1.07 3.63 Carlos got him a bomb. You hate to see it....