Mark Appel may be pitching out of the bullpen in 2018. (Frank Klose/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel is no longer considered much of a prospect. Last month, the Philadelphia Phillies designated him for assignment, which they had to do after removing him from the 40-man roster to protect other minor leaguers from the Rule-5 Draft. No team claimed him, so he'll remain with the Phillies.
At 26, some could view Appel as a lost cause. He's never appeared in a major league game, and being taken off of the 40-man roster means he's moving in the wrong direction. However, now entirely out of the spotlight, Appel may be able to have a fresh start, one that allows him to revive his career.
In fact, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia says that the Phillies plan to give Appel a fresh start next spring, by moving him into a role as a reliever:
Appel, the former No. 1 overall pick by Houston in 2013, has struggled as a starter in two seasons in the Phillies' system and sources say the club will look to transition him to the bullpen in spring training.
After Appel struggled mightily in the farm system of his hometown Houston Astros, he was dealt to the Phillies in December of 2015 as part of the Ken Giles trade. Vince Velasquez headlined the deal, though Appel was inserted into the deal after the Phillies voiced concerns with what they saw in Velasquez's physical. This was the first major move in the Matt Klentak era, and you get the sense that the Phillies felt that a change of scenery could help Appel to rediscover the form that twice made him a first round draft pick.
Instead, injuries have limited Appel to just 27 games (25 of which were starts) in two seasons in the Phillies organization, between Triple-A and the Gulf Coast League. While he was initially effective in 2016, his season was cut short, as he had season-ending elbow surgery in June of that year. Appel dealt with shoulder issues in 2017, and wasn't really effective at any point in the season.
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Though he's a few years older, Appel isn't in a drastically different position than what Tommy Joseph was entering the 2016 season. Like Appel, Joseph was acquired in a key trade, the July 2012 Hunter Pence-to-the-San-Francisco-Giants deal. He also struggled with injuries, as a series of concussions limited him to just 85 games between 2014 and 2015. Joseph wasn't even invited to major league Spring Training in 2016, but got healthy, became acquainted with playing first base and used a hot start at Triple-A to get promoted to the major leagues in May of that year.
Joseph may not be a fit with the Phillies moving forward, but he has established himself as a major league player, one that figures to remain on some major league roster for the foreseeable future.
There's a very real chance that Appel, like Joseph in 2016, won't be invited to major league Spring Training in 2018. If he is, he'll likely be one of the first cuts of major league camp. But if he's able to successfully transition into a new role in the bullpen, he'll find his way onto the major league roster at some point in 2018. Teams can never have enough quality relievers, especially when you are hoping to salvage something out of a player that once was one of the key returns in a major trade.
