|
James Appel
Starting Pitcher | Sask Yellow Jackets
Pitching He can get groundballs when he needs them in a jam. Appel can get into trouble with walks, and there's concern about him being able to maintain his stuff over the whole season. His fastball gets into the high 80s, but it's the sink that makes the pitch effective. The running movement on his pitches makes life tougher on lefties than righties.
Defense & Hitting He's reasonably quick to the plate but needs to vary his pickoff moves. Good baserunners appeared to time him last year. A shaky fielder, he's slow to react to grounders and often looks unsure on his throws to the bases. Appel is a surpisingly good hitting pitcher. And I'm not sure you can say this about a pitcher, but Appel has some pop in his swing. Interesting sidenote, The Sask Yellow Jackets have been known to use Appel as a pinch-runner on occasion.
2025 Outlook The Sask Yellow Jackets signed him to a long-term contract, but don't think they won't drop Appel like a hot potato if something better comes along.
-- Ska Nyman, A-Ball Scout
|
|