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Mark Appel

NL Central Notes: Appel, Perez, Soriano

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Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia has tearing in his labrum and rotator cuff, reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Surgery is not recommended at this time but he will be shut down for a minimum of four weeks. Garcia signed a four-year, $27MM extension last July.

Here's the latest from the NL Central, which just lost one of its best young pitchers…

  • ESPN's Jayson Stark hears that the Pirates are expected to offer eighth overall pick and Stanford right-hander Mark Appel a slot $2.9MM signing bonus and hold the line until the July 13th deadline as they sign their other picks. "I don't see how," said one executive when asked if a deal will get done between the team and the Scott Boras client.
  • Indians closer Chris Perez told Andrew Wagaman of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he was excited when the Cardinals traded him "because I could go do my thing." Cleveland acquired Perez from the Cards for Mark DeRosa in June 2009.
  • We know the Cubs are willing to absorb most of the $54MM left on Alfonso Soriano's contract to trade him, and ESPN's Buster Olney wonders (on Twitter) if the outfielder's recent power surge will create some interest. Soriano hit two homers last night and has 11 in his last 23 games.

Olney On Quentin, Appel, Pirates

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General managers don’t expect many frontline hitters to be available in trades this summer, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Here are more of Olney’s notes:

  • Carlos Quentin of the Padres could be the most sought-after hitter on the trade market, but teams may have concern over the outfielder’s injury history. Olney speculates that teams such as the Reds, Rays, Indians, Dodgers, Braves, Blue Jays, Pirates and Marlins could have interest in Quentin depending on how the next two months unfold. In case you missed it, I set out to determine Quentin’s trade value last week.
  • It was somewhat surprising to see potential first overall selection Mark Appel stay on the board until the Pirates made him the eighth pick of the draft, but executives from many teams had Appel projected as the fourth or fifth-best pitcher available, Olney reports. The presence of agent Scott Boras wasn’t scaring teams off, the clubs simply preferred other players.
  • Most of Olney’s sources believe the Pirates did well to select Appel eighth overall, yet there’s an expectation that the team won’t be prepared to spend wildly and forfeit future draft picks to complete a deal.

Draft Notes: Appel, Correa, Astros, Blue Jays

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Earlier this evening, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow made it known that he expects to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa this week.  According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the deal will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM.  Houston has until July 13th at 4pm CDT to sign the top pick, but it sounds as though they'll have it done with plenty of time left on the clock.  Here's tonight's batch of draft news..

  • Some executives (though, not Pirates execs) told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that Mark Appel was drafted about where they had him on their boards, at No. 8.  The right-hander was in the mix for the first-overall pick but appears to have priced himself out of consideration.
  • Astros scouting director Bobby Heck said the team had a pool of five players they were considering with the top pick and did not decide on Correa until the afternoon of the draft, writes Conor Glassey of Baseball America.  All things considered, Glassey writes that there were only a few surprises on the first day of the draft.
  • Potential signability issues scared some teams off from outfielder Anthony Alford, but the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on taking him in the third-round anyway.  Alford, who is committed to Southern Miss on a football scholarship, has been scouted by Toronto all season long, writes MLB.com's Chris Toman.

Draft Bonus Notes: Appel, Garcia

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Here are some updates on the demands of various draftees as day two of the 2012 first year player draft continues (click here for more of MLBTR’s notes on the draft):

  • First rounder Mark Appel and his representatives at the Boras Corporation turned down a $6MM offer from the Astros, Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres reports. The right-hander had been a possible first overall selection, but the Astros decided to take Carlos Correa instead. The Pirates selected Appel eighth overall, which means his recommended bonus is $2.9MM — presumably much less than his asking price. Keith Law of ESPN.com notes that no offer was made by the Astros (Twitter link).
  • The Dodgers selected Onelkis Garcia in the third round (113th overall) and while the Cuban left-hander has said he’s looking for a $7MM bonus, he won’t get one, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter).

Draft Links: Correa, Braves, Appel, Red Sox

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The 2012 amateur draft kicks off soon, and yesterday we heard that the Astros are expected to select Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick. Here's the latest news on the event, starting with an update on the first overall selection…

  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has heard a lot of chatter about Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa going first overall to the Astros (Twitter link). He feels it's posturing, however, and that Appel is still their selection.
  • The Braves are likely to select a college player with their first round pick (No. 21), according to the sources of MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). As Bowman notes, Mayo has Atlanta selecting Texas A&M outfielder Tyler Naquin.
  • Though the Astros appear to have identified Appel as their top choice, they could move on to other options if the right-hander doesn’t show a willingness to sign at Houston’s price, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier provided a breakdown of the new rules implemented by the new collective bargaining agreement, and also a primer on what the Red Sox may do.
  • The Cardinals have five picks in the first and supplemental first round, and Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about their possible plan of attack.
  • The Phillies hope to land a college hitter who can reach the majors in short order with their first pick, writes David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News. They pick 40th overall after forfeiting their first rounder to sign Jonathan Papelbon.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic tells us what to expect from the Diamondbacks on draft day. "The boring, standard answer is we’re going to pick the best player available," said scouting director Ray Montgomery.
  • Nationals assistant general manager Roy Clark spoke to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post about the difference between picking first overall (like the Nats did in 2009 and 2010) and picking in the middle of the first round (like they'll do this year).
  • Curious about all the draft picks that changed hands via free agent compensation this year? The full draft order can be found at River Ave. Blues.

Astros Expected To Select Mark Appel First Overall

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The Houston Astros are expected to select Stanford's Mark Appel with the first overall pick in tomorrow's amateur draft, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden (via Twitter).

Appel, a Houston native, pitched Stanford to a 9-1 victory over Fresno State this past Friday in the opener of regional play. Appel tossed a complete game four-hitter and struck out 11 in avenging his only loss of the season. Appel has compiled a 2.27 ERA, 9.6 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 in 119 innings (15 starts) for the Cardinal.

Stark On Myers, Phillies, Wang, Giants, Appel

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There will be interleague games throughout most of the season, starting next year, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports.  MLB will limit the number of interleague contests during the last five weeks of the season to ensure that most teams play within their own league down the stretch. Here are more of Stark’s rumors…

  • Brett Myers told Stark he doesn’t want to be traded, but realizes it’s beyond his control. Though Myers doesn’t have a no-trade clause, he obtains a $500K bonus if dealt.
  • The Phillies have “zero” interest in trading Cole Hamels or Shane Victorino, according to an executive who looked into the possibility of trading for the free agents to be. "They'd have to be really out of it to trade anybody,” the exec said.
  • Some teams have expressed interest in rehabbing right-hander Chien-Ming Wang. The Nationals don’t seem interested in trading him, however.
  • The Giants are sending signals that they’re in the market for a corner outfield bat, Stark reports. The Giants, who are also monitoring the infield market, may not have much selection since few power bats seem to be available.
  • Rival teams believe the Astros are leaning toward selecting Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall selection in this June’s amateur draft. One person said Astros GM Jeff Luhnow seems to want to select someone close to the Major Leagues.
  • The loss of pitching coach Dave Duncan entered into the Cardinals' thinking when they extended Yadier Molina earlier in the year, GM John Mozeliak told Stark. "With the fact that Dunc was gone, it was a subtle way of still keeping that same presence on our staff,” he said.

NL Central Notes: Rizzo, Pirates, Appel, Cardinals

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The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-6 win over the Cubs this afternoon.  Yadier Molina was the hero for St. Louis, delivering a walkoff RBI single to cinch the victory.  Here's the latest from around the NL Central…

  • Theo Epstein was hesitant to make the trade that brought Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs since Epstein didn't want to give up Andrew Cashner, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.  It was Cubs GM Jed Hoyer who "aggressively pushed" for the deal.  Levine covers a number of different Cubs (and White Sox) topics in this online chat with readers.
  • The Pirates aren't likely to make a trade to address their hitting problems, GM Neal Huntington told reporters (including Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review).  “There are very, very few trades of substance made in May and there are few trades of substance made in June, so our solutions are going to have to come internally unless we’re willing to be less than intelligent and dramatically overpay. That’s just the way it is," Huntington said.  “We’re certainly looking externally, but the extra wild card has made it that much more of a challenge. There are fewer sellers out there, and we’re going to have to be creative.”
  • ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) has released his first 2012 mock draft and he projects the Astros to take Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick.  "The general feeling is that they'll take the college arm over the higher-upside, higher-risk outfielder, Byron Buxton," Law writes, though he notes that Houston's decision could also be determined by which player is willing to sign for the lowest price beneath the $7.2MM slot figure for the first pick.
  • Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal's hot starts have fueled the Cardinals' big offensive numbers, writes Scott Miller for CBS Sports.

Quick Hits: Walden, Indians, A’s, Appel, Molina

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Here are some notes from around the majors…

  • The Angels renewed the contract of closer Jordan Walden, the team announced.  The Halos also agreed to terms with 21 other players on one-year deals for 2012.
  • The Indians are "looking around for a left fielder" in the wake of Grady Sizemore's injury, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  With so many outfielders already in camp, the Tribe are likely looking for no more than another part-timer on a minor league contract.
  • Bill Madden of the New York Daily News believes Major League Baseball won't allow the Athletics to move to San Jose.  Madden doesn't think three-quarters of the teams would approve of violating the Giants' territorial rights to San Jose, quoting a baseball lawyer who says teams would be wary of voting for a measure that could cost them in the future.  As an example, the Phillies, Mets and Yankees wouldn't be likely to vote against territorial rights since such votes be used as precedent for a team to someday move to New Jersey.
  • Right-hander Mark Appel hasn't quite pitched up to expectations for Stanford this season, writes Baseball America's Conor Glassey.  In particular, Appel's K/9 rate is lower than several recent high-drafted pitchers during their sophomore years.  Appel is a contender to be the first overall pick in the June amateur draft.
  • Yadier Molina's five-year, $75MM extension with the Cardinals was driven by the catcher's defense and leadership, reports MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  "[The St. Louis pitchers] understand his value more than sabermetricians could ever start to pick it apart, and what other people inside the game even understand," said Cards manager Mike Matheny.  "There's so many intangibles. You can't put numbers to the things that this guy does in helping this team win. And I think that's [exemplified by] two world championships since he's taken over behind the plate."

Quick Hits: Appel, Angels, Uehara, Garland, Oswalt

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On this day in 1982, the Padres traded Ozzie Smith, Steve Mura, and Al Olmsted to the Cardinals for Luis DeLeon, Sixto Lezcano and Garry Templeton.  The trade was sparked by both Smith and Templeton having issues with their respective teams.  Here's a look at today's links..

  • Stanford righty Mark Appel isn't a lock for the No. 1 pick in the draft, writes ESPN's Keith Law (Insider req'd). Appel touched 97mph in the first inning of his first start, but sat 91-95mph for the next six innings and doesn't command his fastball well enough in the zone to miss as many bats as he should, says Law. Law also looks at some Stanford hitters who should go high in the draft and notes some impressive velocity from around the country yesterday.
  • The Angels have hired former big leaguers Gary Varsho and Jeff Cirillo as scouts, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
  • Rangers reliever Koji Uehara wants to get his situation settled and know where he's playing this season, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  Texas has been talking with clubs about a possible deal, including the Athletics.
  • The Indians are still working through details in their talks with Jon Garland, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.  The pitcher was originally set to undergo a physical on Monday but that now seems unlikely.
  • When asked about adding Roy Oswalt or anyone else, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told reporters, "We're always open for business here," tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • Dusty Baker only has one year remaining on his contract, but the Reds skipper says that he isn't concerned about it, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
  • Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner told Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter) that he hasn't heard from the team about a long-term contract yet.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) has the contract figures on two minor league signings from earlier this offseason.  Joel Pineiro will earn $1.5MM if he makes the big league roster with the Phillies while Ryan Spilborghs will receive a $1MM base salary if he's in the majors with the Indians.

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