CLEARWATER, Fla. - The cruelty of it all was not lost on Mark Appel, a former No. 1 overall pick who came to Florida last June to rest a sore shoulder. The plan, Appel said, was for two or three weeks of rehab. That was before his right elbow "locked up."
"I just thought it was normal pitcher soreness," Appel said. "Nothing really hurt while I was throwing. But I couldn't get extension. I couldn't straighten out my elbow all the way. That can have an effect on your game."
Appel's first season in the Phillies' system was done.