In a candid, must-read interview with Bleacher Report’s Joon Lee, former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel reveals that he’s stepping away from professional baseball at the age of 26. Appel didn’t use the word “retirement” and suggested that perhaps, somewhere down the line, he’d give baseball another shot. However, for the time being, he won’t be reporting to Spring Training with the Phillies (who will retain his rights, tweets Matt Gelb of The Athletic).
“I’m 26, I have a Stanford degree, I have many interests beyond baseball, which I still love, but I have a lot of things I care about,” Appel tells Lee. “I enjoy challenging my mind. My last four years in baseball have challenged my mind.”
Appel, clearly, has dealt with his share of disappointment in professional baseball. The former Stanford ace was twice projected to be the top overall pick in the draft, falling to the Pirates at No. 8 in 2012 and then ultimately being selected No. 1 overall by Houston the following year after returning to Stanford for his senior season. As Joon explores in detail, Appel posted respectable numbers in his debut season but never really hit his stride after the fact, struggling through injuries and oftentimes inexplicable ineffectiveness from 2014-17.
Appel bluntly states that he was “maybe the worst pitcher in professional baseball” in 2014 and recalls a story where, after arguably the worst start of his career, frustration boiled over to the point that he destroyed a particle-board panel in the clubhouse by throwing upwards of 80 baseballs through it. (Appel purchased supplies to repair the damages at Home Depot out of his own pocket and handled the project himself the following day.) The right-hander obviously feels some disappointment about never reaching the Majors and says he would “absolutely” have loved to be pitching in the World Series alongside his friends and former Astros teammates.
As Lee points out, if Appel never makes the decision to return to pro ball, he’d become just the third No. 1 overall pick ever to retire without logging a single game in the Majors. Appel is aware of that unflattering context but seems to be at peace with the fact.
“I had high expectations,” says Appel, who is still rehabbing from his 2017 shoulder troubles. “I didn’t live up to those for a number of reasons. If you want to call me the biggest draft bust, you can call it that. … If I never get to the big leagues, will it be a disappointment? Yes and no. That was a goal and a dream I had at one point, but that’s with stipulations that I’m healthy, I’m happy and doing something I love. If I get to the big leagues, what’s so great about the big leagues if you’re in an isolated place, you’re hurt and you’re emotionally unhappy? How much is that worth to you?”
For the time being, Appel says he’s planning on pursuing an internship and attending business school, perhaps at Stanford but also with several other prospective universities in mind. He speaks with a certain level of excitement about the opportunity to spend more time with friends and family, as well as the possibility of traveling. Perhaps most important of all, Appel sounds like a man with an unexpected and impressive level of perspective on the struggles he’s had in professional baseball: “Some people have real struggles. I played baseball. I thought I was going to be great, and I wasn’t.”
Seems to be handling it well. Best of luck to him.
Yea! Plus that $6 million dollar signing bonus helps make it a whole lot easier! I think he’s set for life.
Yep. All about the money. Idiot
Well, … it’s a significant piece.
Hey Goalieguy! Did you get lost? This is a baseball site. Find a hockey post to spew your hate! Leave the real sports to the adults!
Yeah, I wonder if he would be hanging up his spikes if he didn’t have that nice nest egg. I know players play the game more for the love of it, except for a few that seem to be contract players, but, Appel has the talent and potential to play in the majors.. Pretty much every scout in baseball thought so at one time or another. Would he be passing up a chance to make millions (or at least the league minimum) if he had been a 15th round pick and signed for $5000 and had to ride the bus/share an apartment with 3 other guys just to get as far as he has (AAA) being only one solid year from MLB? I doubt it.. Hopefully, he will take a year or two off, get healthy, and show up in the independent leagues finally pitching like he did in college..
Sad to see that happen. I had high hopes for him like everybody else, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.
I thought he was a number 3 at best so lol I’m the mostest rightest
Well, you just enjoy gloating over that, okay?
Good job being the “mostest rightest”, if that’s even considered words
Boi34, you are an idiot
I just remembered he was drafted ahead of Kris Bryant.
I remember when he failed
How’s your pro ball career going?
Appel still failed regardless
There are varying degrees of success in athletics. Playing D1 college ball, being drafted in the first round twice, making millions, and getting to AAA are successes. He didn’t meet the expectations, so you could say he failed to meet expectations. That happens everyday in athletics, and it doesn’t make one a failure.
failed at what, getting to the majors? whoopiry dooo
Kind of a big thing when a number one pick leaves without making the pro circuit. Maybe you’re too jaded to be a baseball fan? Try lacrosse.
good point!!!
The Ryan Leaf of baseball without the off the field antics. He could still be a factor once his shoulder comes back.
Yeah, but once you eliminate the “off the field antics,” its pretty difficult to accurately compare any athlete to Ryan Leaf.
So nothing like Ryan Leaf.
Brian Taylor was the Ryan leaf of baseball hotshot
Brien Taylor, not Brian Taylor.
So much for trying to be a reliever, I guess that wasn’t what he wanted.
or he was ready to be done
He’s just the third person ever to not make it to the major leagues? Wow I wasn’t aware of how large the big leagues are
3rd player to be a first overall pick to not make the major leagues.
Yes, leaving out the “third #1 pick not to make it” changes things for a reader.
I think he forgot to say 3rd ever 1st overall pick*
Reading is hard!!
I remember when we drafted him. I wished he were better. Just comes to show how baseball can take you high, and bring you back down too.
Maybe he can find his confidence abroad. A lot of players are doing that now
He’s stepping away from baseball not just baseball in the US.
He wants to travel. Read the article.
We did and the article states he is going to try and get an internship and Phillies retain his rights. So there’s two things in there that make the assumption of him playing ball with a non MLB team a fallacy.
Good luck and hopefully he can eventually make a successful comeback to baseball. Great article too, it really shows the human side of the game and how these guys aren’t just robots for our entertainment
I’m still imagining how much better the Astros would be if they drafted Kris Bryant.
Oh lord, a Bryant, Correa and Altuve infield would have been nasty
Pls don’t. My heart can’t take it
boo hoo you guys just won the world series lmao.
Salt?
Not at all, just playing along.
yeah, but we wouldn’t have Bregman
Bryant is better than Bregman
Bregman is a much better fielder and an above average hitter. Bryant is all offense.
So you wouldn’t trade Bregman for Bryant straight up?
2017 fWar
Bryant – 6.7 (and was even higher in 2016)
Bregman – 3.8
Bregman is a very good player, but Bryant is objectively better. Bryant is a perennial MVP candidate (and on a HOF projectory). The only advantage that Bregman has on him is that he is 2 years younger.
*HOF trajectory
Not entirely true. If they felt Bregman was the best when they took him, they could have drafted him with the intention on moving him to the OF or using him as a trade chip for another area of need at a later date.
Would definitely still have Bregman. Though Bryant would most likely be moved to left to accommodate an infield of Bregman, Correa, and Altuve.
Possibly still have Bregman, but wouldn’t have Kyle Tucker. Astros still win the hypothetical.
I wish he stuck around another year. He could make a very solid reliever.
Better then Arnold chapmen
Aroldis Chapman? I’ve never heard of Arnold.
You get an award for most annoying troll, good job
Yay! Another one for my trophy case!
So you’re a bear lover, eh?
but he was terrible out of the stretch.
He has degrees in Management Science and Engineering from an Ivy League School. Even with having no experience in either field in the last five years, some employer will surely offer him a very lucrative job because of his name.
Yeah, it sucks that baseball didn’t work out, but he will have a cozy six-figure job within a few years anyway lmao.
Correction, Stanford isn’t Ivy League, but the rest of my point remains
Stanford is comfortably a peer of the Ivy League schools academically, though much, much better at athletics than any Ivy.
Depends on the sport you’re talking about !
That’s why it’s so much more safer and smarter to play ball in college and get a degree than straight to the minors out of high school. Unless your Mike Trout of course
I know this applies to a very small number of milb players, but those HS picks who got seven figure / high six figure signing bonuses likely aren’t hurting for money if baseball doesn’t end.
As long as they don’t cave to peer / family pressure to spend money on them, they likely have enough to go to state college on their own.
A lot of high picks have college tuition built in to those first deals too.
Stanford technically isn’t an Ivy, but it’s objectively the Harvard of the West Coast.
Seems like he will have a bright future in anything he does.
I hope he heals and comes back. Working 9-5 , even with a Standford degree , can’t compare the pro ball. Other pitchers have taken a year off and come back stronger. Don’t make a decision at 20 something that you’ll regret at 40 something.
I’d venture to guess that you’re right, a 9-5 job can’t compare to pro ball. A pro ball commitment is much more than that, 10-12 hour days, training, diet, etc.
I hope the guy does whatever makes him happy. He sounds like he’s at peace with it. More power to him.
The big difference is that in the real world, Appel isn’t going to get a huge salary based on future performance. A Stanford degree is nice, but now Appel will have to produce from day one, just like the rest of us.
And so not making it to the bigs incites this short cited comment? Seriously unprofessional. He’s obviously smart enough to have earned a degree and I’m sure will do just fine putting it to use.
The “real world” pays big for potential (money, time, resources, research, etc).
The reason common jobs pay flat salaries based on merit is because the challenges and skills required to do most jobs are less dynamic, outcomes are more predictable, and it is easier to replace most employees in most jobs.
It may not seem fair that an 18-22 year old receive millions for not producing a desired outcome in athletics, but as far as the market is concerned that person has already become a product (their body) that can produce a predicted outcome for an employer (throwing 200 mph or hitting a ball 1/4 mile for example).
Appel is an outlier, and he is well aware of this. Being highly intelligent and well educated in business, I’m sure he’s versed in the basics.
apoarently, he has had the or ball life and wants the 9 to 5
best of luck to him.. always seemed like a nice guy.
I bet hell come to the conclusion that playing baseball is more fun than working pretty quick and be out of retirement in a year.
Won’t change the fact that he’s a mediocre to bad arm
He is not retired. He never said retired. Of course its possible he tries to comeback in a year or two but for now at least he is moving on.
it’s not as much fun when everyone is looking at you as a failed #1 pick and you arent pitching well.
It’s a tough and unforgiving game, as if we needed to be reminded. Fortunately for Appel he seems to have the emotional intelligence to know when it is time to move on.
Motivational speaker? I think kids and young adults could learn a lot from him. Expectations, hype, disappointment, perseverance, etc.
Phillies will always give a man some perspective.
They wouldn’t had that pick had Wren kept Teixeira and not traded for Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek, perceiving the gained compensatory pick as having more value that those 2 – which it obviously did. Hindsight
He got a 6,35 Million $ signing bonus, he’ll survive even without baseball.
Now the Phillies have an opening, might as well sign Darvish
yeah, because him being around was what was stopping that from happening…
What are ya talking about, Appel was definitely blocking him from coming here
With his Stanford degree and now going for an MBA at Standord or another high end school and only 26 with college baseball and pro baseball experience and with being on top of the world and the bottom in the sport ….
He may get into coaching or front office of a team. His background with todays MBA type of executives would be top notch
That’s a great point.
I was pulling for him. He has a great attitude but seems like his perspective is a bit off..
He thinks he is unhappy now playing a game? Lol wait till he has to get a real job. Yeah I get his point … I’m half kidding here but he has no idea what the real working class grind feels like. He never will either. I still wish him luck, but I think he’ll find out the “excited to see family and friends” is way off base… how do you not have enough time to see friends and family when you are off 5-6 months of the year? Part of me hope he gets a real crap boss… nothingbwill motivate him more to reach his potentional on the mound. He can start his second career at 35, until then I’d tryblike hell to figure it out
In any regards I wish him well.
Have you ever played pro ball?. It’s not just a game. It’s a high stakes business. They don’t have message boards dedicated to bashing MB candidates who wash out
do you think he just sits around 5 months of the year?
Right, because being gone almost all the time for the other seven is no big deal.
How do you know he doesn’t know what the grind is like?
as if he hasn’t been morivated, please
your jealousy and attitude are childish..
tac3, Yeah and I’m sure you have no idea what the grind is like trying to get to the big leagues, let alone the pressure of trying to live up to the hype of being the highest-rated draft pick. Dumbest comment I’ve seen today.
I’m honestly laughing my rear off at you guys … yeah… do you think it is harder to “grind” being a minor league baseball player or a dude flipping burgers for the same amount of time? Which one would you rather do?
Yeah … give me a break. You guys must have a few summer jobs under your belt to have those kinds of few points. Get a real job for 10-20years and get back to me! Lmao this guy doesn’t know what the grind is… it’s enjoyable … wait till he gets his 9-5 lolololol
Lol
First of all, some of us actually enjoy our jobs, even those of us who aren’t playing professional baseball. I sincerely doubt Appel is going to be flipping burgers since he has a college degree, and also happens to be a millionaire. The man said he was not happy playing baseball anymore. I’m just not sure why you are wishing ill will on him for no damn reason.
I agree with a lot of this, but I think you are completely missing my point. I’m not wishing him any ill will at all. I’m not knocking him for not being happy pursuing a mlb career as a pitcher. He obviously has money, as we can seee their paychecks, unless he blew it, but he has other options. My point is that saying he’ll have more time to see family and friends is a bit off base. If you can’t see your f&fs when you are off 4-5 months of the year, every year, with means to visit them … you need to develop your time management skills. Yes … not having to report to a specific place 4-5 months of the year is Being “off”. Training times are flexible, so I don’t want to hear he’s not “off”.
Playing baseball is not a grind, it’s a privelage. Sorry, don’t care. It’s a game, and if you can’t enjoy it you will not enjoy the real grind of a lower to middle class worker who does not have the luxury of not liking the grind. It’s off base, and he will see soon enough. He will never truly feel the grind since he was able to skip over a lot of the grunt jobs, but he’ll get a taste.
He can do as he wishes it’s his life, I’m justness stating his reasons for stepping away are all not that sound past his “happiness” level.
To be clear, I wish him well and happiness. In the end I hope he has no regrets.
He has a nice investment start, he could easily be his own boss if he manages every thing well….and considering he has a degree from Stanford, I wouldn’t bet against him.
Baseball is a very full time job, and a lot of fans don’t realize what it takes every day.
Every meal is tracked, during the off-season it is hours of training, it’s the constant travel, it’s the focus on the body and mind.
And it’s all enjoyable … anyone posting on here would love to do it … give me a break. If that’s a grind … sign me up!!!!
It worked the year before with Josh Bell, so I liked the Pirates gambling on him with a #8 overall pick and trying to sign the projected top overall prospect…but it really set the team back.
The comp pick the next year became Austin Meadows. His hamstring issues have slowed his development so the team has seen zero return for that top ten pick more than half a decade later. That hurts a small market team big time.
When it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere with the Phils, I was actually thinking the Pirates should offer cash or a PTBNL for Appel and given Searage a shot with him.
Awesome perspective for a man his age. Good for him. Best of luck.
Probably a lot easier to have that attitude after receiving a 5+m bonus.
The trade that didn’t work out for both sides.
I wouldn’t say that just yet, Vinny could be an outstanding reliever,
and Eshelman posted a 2.23 ERA in AAA as a starter last season (121 ip). Also, his FIP was 3.20 and his BB/9 was 0.97.
It’s not an easy thing to stand on a mound by yourself in the middle of a field with thousands of fans cheering or jeering and you’re expected to throw a ball 60 ft past some of the best baseball players in the world…….and as Clint Eastwood said, “A man has got to know his limitations.” Good luck to Mark, he did what works for him,.
“If you want to call me the biggest draft just, you can call me that…” well I don’t call a cow, a chicken or a pig
With a winning attitude like that I can’t believe he didn’t do better.
His comments give clarity.
Hoping for the best for the guy. This game creates so much pressure, it has to be incredible.
Good luck Appel, hopefully you find your way, whether to a big league mound or in another area of interest.
Never been happier to see someone fail. This is what you deserve when you turn down the 8th overall pick because you think you should be #1, and you demand way over slot money. You got your #1 pick but karma came back for you.
Good for him. Baseball is NOT life, despite what you may have heard or think.
Mark Appel stepped away from baseball a few years ago, now he’s just not going to play anymore
He seems like a really good dude. Best of luck to him.
At one point he was non tradable.
He should seek to be a relief pitcher. Make an attempt for a comeback.
“after arguably the worst start of his career, frustration boiled over to the point that he destroyed a particle-board panel in the clubhouse by throwing upwards of 80 baseballs through it. (Appel purchased supplies to repair the damages at Home Depot out of his own pocket and handled the project himself the following day.)”
Personally, I would have chosen Lowes, but ya’ gotta’ respect the kid’s attitude. I wish you the best, Mark!