Appel Just Might Be Okay

I'm sure you've heard, but Appel finally pitched like a number one pick is supposed to pitch last night. No more, he was good, but with a bad inning, or, much better than he was in the Lancaster. Nope, this time he was legitimately great, with no qualifications.

His total line was 8 IP 2 H 1 BB 10 K. He pitched into the 9th, but was pulled after the leadoff hitter doubled, just the second hit allowed in the game. Best of all, he was efficient, sitting at only 88 pitches. Possibly, if the Hooks had staked him to a more than 1 run lead, he would have been able to finish it out. Tyson Perez got the call, and closed the game out, getting Appel his first AA win.

That outing brought his AA ERA down to 3.15. His FIP stands at a much better 2.57. In his last four starts, he has struck out 26 while walking only 4, and he's allowed only 1 AA homerun. The scouting is starting to match the results. At least one very important observer was impressed.

Tidbits from Appel's outing last night: FB avg 96 top 98. 16 first pitch strikes. 7 ground outs, 4 fly outs, 10 ks. Only one 3 ball count.
— Jeff Luhnow (@jluhnow) August 27, 2014

Obviously, he has a long way to go. One start in AA doesn't make a career. But, for the first time all year, it feels like he is heading in the right direction.