No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel to join River Bandits
Right-handed pitcher Mark Appel, the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Astros in the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, will join the Quad Cities River Bandits Wednesday before their six-game home stand at Modern Woodmen Park, the Astros announced on Tuesday. With 2012 No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa, the River Bandits are set to become the first team in Minor League Baseball history with consecutive No. 1 overall picks on the same roster.
The Houston Astros selected Appel out of Stanford University with the top pick of the draft on June 6. He signed with the Astros and was introduced at a press conference June 19 at Minute Maid Park. Appel made his professional debut July 5 with the short-season Class-A Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. In two starts July 5 and July 9, Appel pitched five total innings, allowed six hits, two earned runs and no walks while striking out six batters.
At Stanford for four seasons, Appel is the all-time Cardinal leader with 372 career strikeouts. He finished his career with the fourth-most innings pitched (377 2/3) and sixth-most wins (28) in program history. In 2012, he was named the National Pitcher of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. This year, he finished 10-4 with four complete games and a 2.12 ERA and was a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American. He was the Pac-12 Baseball Scholar Athlete of the Year and earned his degree in management science and engineering.
The 21-year-old Appel was a Houston-area native before moving to California at age 12. He graduated from Monte Vista (Calif.) High School. Previously selected by the Detroit Tigers (15th round, 2009) and Pittsburgh Pirates (first round, No. 8 overall, 2012), Appel was named the top prospect in the 2013 draft by MLB.com.
Since the June amateur draft began in 1965, four Minor League Baseball teams have had two No. 1 picks on their roster at the same time, but Quad Cities is the first to have consecutive No. 1 overall picks on the same roster.
MiLB teams with two No. 1 overall picks
| Team | League | Level | MLB Club | Year | Player (Year drafted No. 1 overall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidewater Tides | International League | Triple-A | New York Mets | 1970 | C Steven Chilcott (1966), SS Tim Foli (1968) |
| Hawaii Islanders | Pacific Coast League | Triple-A | San Diego Padres | 1975 | 3B Dave Roberts (1972), SS Bill Almon (1974) |
| Lynn Sailors | Eastern League | Double-A | Seattle Mariners | 1981 | OF Al Chambers (1979), RHP Mike Moore (1981) |
| Quad Cities River Bandits | Midwest League | Class-A | Houston Astros | 2013 | SS Carlos Correa (2012), RHP Mark Appel (2013) |
The River Bandits open their six-game homestand at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Modern Woodmen Park. Appel is scheduled to make his first River Bandits start on Sunday, July 14, at 5 p.m. against the Dayton Dragons.
UP NEXT: Golf Night and the John Deere Classic Celebration open the River Bandits' six-game homestand Wednesday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Modern Woodmen Park. Fans can also enter copies of the bills into a drawing to be one of the two paid up to $100 by the River Bandits on a Pay Your Bill Wednesday presented by U.S. Bank and Mix 96. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: The River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is planned for next spring, along with a carousel and other new games and attractions. This season, the team just unveiled a new 300-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, a Mediacom Frog Hopper, and a number of new bounce houses . The team also boasts a new major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, and fans can see the first team in Minor League Baseball history with back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks - 2012 top pick Carlos Correa and 2013 top pick Mark Appel, as well as 2012 first-round draft choice Lance McCullers. With new rides, new attractions, new improvements, a new affiliate and future major league stars, the second half of this season is one every fan will not want to miss!