As I’ve told you guys a few times before, 2006 was my first year covering the team. That year for me was out of this world, simply because I was finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do, which is of course, be a beat writer and cover a professional baseball team. Young reliever Josh Appell was also living his dream that summer, playing first for the Mets former Single-A affiliate the Hagerstown Suns and then in Brooklyn where he played the entire season. The only problem was things weren’t going nearly as well for him as he would have hoped.

For those who don’t know, Appell is a University of Pennsylvania graduate, making him a tremendously smart cookie. He’s probably one of my favorite interviews of all-time too based on the fact that he’s extremely intelligent and really explains the answers to the questions you ask him. Simply put, I [And I’m sure several other reporters feel this way too], feel that Appell could do anything he wanted with his life and doesn’t need to play professional baseball. After posting a 5.40 ERA in nine appearances and basically wasting away in George Greer’s bullpen in 2006 however, not many people thought Appell was going to be a player to watch in 2007.

However, Appell came to Brooklyn in 2007 with a secret weapon, a slider. Already armed with a solid fastball, a changeup and a curveball, Appell was a totally different pitcher, as his new pitch danced over the strike zone all season long. Having problems with his control in 2006, naturally from not being used enough, Appell exhibited pinpoint control for most of the season and was one of Edgar Alfonzo’s favorite guys out of the pen. In 24 games last season, Appell had a 3.68 ERA, despite some bumpy terrain over the last half of the season that caused his ERA to jump about a run and a half. Nevertheless, it was still clear that Appell had made a name for himself in Brooklyn and that he’d get a shot somewhere else in the organization in the future.

To see a guy in the bullpen all season the year before, just sitting there, bored, just waiting to be used, to becoming a vital cog in a team’s pitching staff was a very fun process. Seeing Appell’s confidence grow as the season went on was also a great experience, as he went from being a happy-go lucky kind of guy to one that was truly confident in his abilities and was modest about it. When I first started doing this, I was always skeptical of the type of personalities I’d encounter amongst the players and if they’d be the kind of guys I would really want to write stories about. Appell was one of the players that really had a story to tell and made me realize how much fun covering Minor League baseball could be if you were willing to dig and get to know the players and understand why they were here.

After two years of watching him play, I know why Appell is trying to make a name for himself in baseball, rather than earn a six-figure salary somewhere else; he loves the game.

Again, like some of the other ‘Clones I’ve mentioned over the past few weeks, I highly doubt we’ll be seeing Josh Appell around Coney Island again, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be missed by anyone.

Photo by Jim Dolan