Tag Archives: Mark Appel

WINKER, DRURY SWINGING IT IN ‘ZONA

Surprise-SaguarosOF Jesse Winker (BAK ’14) tore a tendon in his right wrist in July while playing for AA Pensacola, but the Reds’ #2 organizational prospect is back at it with the Arizona Fall League’s Surprise Saguros. Winker went 2-for-3 Wednesday night with a homer and a double as he paced his club to an 8-2 victory over the Peoria Javelinas.

In 53 games with the Bakersfield Blaze this past season, Winker, a 2012 compensation pick, slashed .317/.426/.580 with 13 homers in 205 ABs.

In the same game, 1B Kyle Waldrop (BAK ’13, ’14) went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored for Surprise. DH Hunter Renfroe (LE ’14) went 1-for-5 with an RBI batting behind Waldrop and before Winker.

Brandon Drury (VIS ’14), the Diamondbacks’ #6 prospect, launched a homer in a 6-3 win for the Salt River Rafters over the Scottsdale Scorpions. This game featured an especially strong mix of elite prospects as Salt River’s top three in the batting order went like this:

OF Byron Buxton – 2-for-5, 1 R
DH Brandon Drury – 1-for-5, HR, RBI
2B Trevor Story (MOD ’13, ’14) – 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

Beyond that trio, P Mark Appel (LAN ’14) went three innings as the starter for Salt River, OF Andrew Aplin (LAN ’12, ’13) went 1-for-5 with a run scored, also for the Rafters, and Daniel Carbonell (SJ ’14) walked as a pinch-hitter for Scottsdale.

 

APPEL PROMOTION SPARKS ODD REACTION

RHP Mark Appel, the top overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, was promoted to AA Corpus Christi from Lancaster yesterday and will get his first start in the Texas League Wednesday.

A cause for celebration. Certainly champagne corks popped amid congratulatory pats on the back as another step toward the big leagues was taken.

Or, maybe not.

News of the promotion apparently irked some players on the major league club, especially after Appel showed up at MinuteMaid Park to throw a bullpen on his way to Corpus Christi. But then, Astros team leaders Jason Castro and Chad Qualls did damage control, indicating that there was no problem with Appel being promoted or being at MMP, and that things had been “blown out of proportion.”

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APPEL GOES 6 STRONG IN JETHAWKS WIN

lancasterjethawksnewRHP Mark Appel turned in a clean six-inning outing against the Stockton Ports on Thursday night as Lancaster posted a 5-2 win. The top overall pick in the 2013 First Year Player Draft, Appel has famously struggled this season, entering the contest with a record of 1-5 and a 10.80 ERA.

But after making what Appel called a minor mechanical adjustment, the Astros’ #2 prospect put together what has clearly been his best outing to date: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.

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FRIDAY NIGHT WRAP

CLThere are just a couple of weeks left in the Cal League season’s first half, believe it or not, and the standings are starting to have serious playoff implications. The Bakersfield Blaze came into the night with a commanding five-game lead over the Visalia Rawhide in the North, having taken two of three at Recreation Park during the week. But the ‘Hide cut into that lead tonight with a late-inning comeback that combined with a shootout loss by Bakersfield at High Desert.

It would be asking a lot for Visalia to make up four games in a couple of weeks, but that is what the Rawhide will try to do in the waning days of the first half.

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FRIDAY NIGHT WRAP

CLAs April came to a close and the calendar turned to May, two of the biggest stories in the Cal League involved injuries. Lancaster SS Carlos Correa missed seven games with a sore shoulder, but he returned to the field tonight in the Jethawks’ 6-3 loss to San  Jose. But earlier in the week, unfortunately, Giants OF Mac Williamson had to have Tommy John surgery and won’t play anymore this season.

Other developments:

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DIVISION RACES HEATING UP

CLBoth divisions are seeing compelling races for the first-half title with Visalia a game up on Bakersfield in the North and High Desert up by the same margin over Lancaster in the South.

NORTH DIVISION

The Blaze got out of the gates fast and have had two players recognized with Cal League weekly honors in 1B Marquez Smith and P Ben Lively. After last night’s action, Bakersfield has a 14-6 record. But Visalia has shot past them to the top of the North division by winning six straight and nine of it’s last 10 to post a 15-5 mark.

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ASTROS SYSTEM RICH IN PROSPECTS

AstrosThe Houston Astros have famously switched to full-on rebuild mode, after languishing in the shadow of a 2005 World Series appearance. A star-studded team lost to the Chicago White Sox that year, and the club held on to some big names in the next few years, trying to get back to the Fall Classic, but ultimately a huge move was made.  Continue reading