Former 1st-Overall Draft Pick Elects Free Agency

The former top overall selection was removed from the Philadelphia Phillies' 40-man roster earlier this week.

Now, rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, pitcher Mark Appel has decided to elect free agency.

The following #Phillies minor leaguers have elected free agency:

RHP Mark Appel
RHP James Marvel
RHP Andrew Brown
RHP Bubby Rossman
RHP Ofreidy Gomez
RHP Nick Duron
RHP Trevor Bettencourt
RHP Joel Cesar
LHP Ryan Sherriff
LHP Braeden Ogle
LHP Jace Fry
LHP Kent Emanuel

— MiLB-Transactions (@tombaseball29) November 12, 2022

After laboring in the minors his whole career, Appel finally made it to the majors this past season, finishing the season with a strong 1.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and five strikeouts over 10.1 innings of work.

For his minor league career, the thirty-one-year-old holds a 5.05 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and 411 strikeouts over 486.2 innings. 

Appel should be able to find a contract with a team this offseason and serve as organizational relief depth. Appel was the first overall selection by the Houston Astros in the 2013 MLB Draft.

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports