Stanford Engineering's Mark Appel is No. 1 Major League Baseball draft pick
With the first pick of the 2013 Major League Baseball first-Year player draft, the Houston Astros selected Stanford Engineering grad Mark Appel, a right-handed pitcher and All-American.
"This has been such a surreal moment for me and my family knowing that I'm going back home to Houston," said Appel., who completed his degree in Management Science & Engineering earlier this year.
Appel becomes Stanford's highest draftee and 13th first-round pick since 2000. Appel, who returned to Stanford for his senior season after being drafted eighth overall by Pittsburgh in 2012, finished his degree in Management Science & Engineering in March and is set to participate in Stanford's commencement on June 16.
"In Mark's decision to return to Stanford for his senior season, he wanted to earn his degree and improve as a pitcher," said Mark Marquess, Stanford head coach. "He was able to do both, which is a testament to his work ethic and dedication to being a true student-athlete."
Appel, the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the year, is the 11th Cardinal player drafted by the Houston organization, a crop that includes current Astros catcher Jason Castro, who was the 10th overall pick of the 2008 draft. Appel joins the elite Cardinal company of fellow Houston-area natives Andrew Luck -- who received his BS from Stanford Engineering in 2012 -- and Nneka Ogwumike as No. 1 overall picks.
Luck went first overall to Indianapolis in the 2012 NFL Draft while Los Angeles chose Ogwumike to open the 2012 WNBA Draft. Each of the three finished their degree before leaving for the professional ranks.
Stanford now joins LSU as the only schools to produce at least one No. 1 overall pick in the MLB, NFL and WNBA drafts. The only 2012 first-rounder not to sign a professional contract, Appel is one of 17 players selected twice in the first round since 1965.
Former Stanford standout and current Philadelphia outfielder John Mayberry Jr. was selected out of high school by Seattle in the first round (28th pick overall) of the 2002 draft but did not sign a professional baseball contract, becoming the highest selection and the only first-round draft pick from 2002 to attend a four-year college. After his junior season at Stanford, Mayberry was taken 19th overall by Texas in 2005.
Appel leaves Stanford as its career leader in strikeouts (372), while ranking fourth in innings pitched (377.2) and sixth with 28 wins. During his senior campaign, Appel fanned a conference-best 130 batters while going 10-4 in 14 starts and tossed four complete games. He issued just 23 walks and allowed 17 extra-base hits in 106.1 innings.
A two-year Friday night starter for the Cardinal, Appel is in contention for a number of other national postseason awards, including the Senior CLASS Award.
Appel averaged 7.6 innings per appearance, 11.0 strikeouts per game and boasted a 5.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2013. He held opponents to a career-low .203 clip in 14 appearances and only twice allowed more than three earned runs.
Appel held a 0.96 ERA through his first six appearances and walked only seven batters in as many appearances from Feb. 22-April 12. Appel logged five straight double-digit strikeout performances (Feb. 22-March 28) and totaled seven such outings on the season.
