Appel, Phillies hit reset button at camp

When Mark Appel got to Clearwater for Spring Training, there was something different.
It wasn't just the change of uniform or the new venue following his trade from the Astros. He felt different.
"I think that being able to hit the reset button with the new organization and go about things with a different focus and not having really the expectation and the pressure of being the first overall pick with that organization," MLB.com's No. 70 overall prospect said of the reason. "I think mentally it feels a little bit different and it feels different in a very good way."
While Appel is the only first overall Draft pick at Phillies camp -- unlike with the Astros -- the spotlight seems comfortably dimmed as he starts over in a new system.
A Stanford graduate, the right-hander has been in the public eye since Houston selected him in 2013. And although Appel status' may have slipped at times -- especially when he posted a 6.91 ERA during his sophomore season -- he remained one of baseball's most talked-about prospects.
"It's tough being drafted first overall because everyone instantly expects you to be the best player in the world and to be in the big leagues in a year, but it takes time," said Tyler Goeddel, who met Appel when the latter was in college. "I think sometimes it takes longer for certain people to reach their potential.
"But there's no doubt about it, Mark works as hard as anyone and I'm pretty confident he's going to be a great Major Leaguer."
A couple months ago at the Winter Meetings, talk swirled around a deal in place between the Phillies and the Astros. It appeared Philadelphia was trading closer Ken Giles for big leaguers Vincent Velasquez and Brett Oberholtzer, plus Minor Leaguer Derek Fisher -- who was best known for collecting 12 RBIs in his California League debut.
So on Dec. 9, reports came about about the projected decent trade between the two teams. But three days later, the real details emerged and the mega-deal got even bigger with Appel taking the place of Fisher and Minor Leaguers Harold Arauz and Thomas Eshelman included.
Appel's phone was buzzing with calls from Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and Phillies counterpart Matt Klentak. The Houston native was shocked and overcome with emotion. First, he thought about the teammates he would miss. Then he thought about his new destination.
"I thought about the future and really where I was headed. Philadelphia [has] a lot of opportunity, a lot of young guys who are hungry to get better and to compete and to perform on the field," he said. "I think being in Philadelphia is going to be a really, really good thing."
The trade meant change for Appel, but yet there was something familiar about the way his new organization was making moves.
"I think that the Phillies are the team on the rise. It's a great organization to be a part of right now, especially coming from an organization that is probably just a couple years ahead of the Phillies and where they want to be," the 24-year-old said. "I went through some rebuilding with the Astros and I was able to see how quickly they were able to turn that around. I think the future is really bright in Philadelphia."
The burst of sunlight over the City of Brotherly Love was one of the final memorable acts completed by former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. back in July. Amaro -- now the first-base coach for the Red Sox -- saw that his club's attention needed to be shifted to the future so he dealt veteran ace Cole Hamels to the Rangers for five of the team's top prospects.

"I was like, 'This is awesome, I get a fresh start, a new place,'' said Nick Williams, a key prospect in the trade. "Especially with a team that's rebuilding, I was like, I couldn't ask for a better situation. I was able to visit a new place and I guess start over and be with a team that I have a really good shot at making the team with."
Along with Williams, Jake Thompson , Jorge Alfaro , Alec Asher and Jerad Eickhoff joined the Phillies at the deadline, and the agenda was set for the club's offseason. On the West Coast with the Angels, Klentak took notice.
"From the outside, that was a trade that I felt made sense from both sides," said the Angels former assistant GM. "For the Phillies, it was the right time to cash in a big trade chip and reload for the future. And obviously the players that came to Philadelphia in that trade, many of them have very bright futures."
Amaro also traded veteran closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals for right-hander Nick Pivetta at the deadline, then flipped local hero Chase Utley and cash to the Dodgers for near-ready infielder Darnell Sweeney and right-hander John Richy in August. There was no going back now; the Phillies' course was officially set.
Two months later, Hamels' Rangers were eliminated by the Blue Jays, Sweeney had experience in Philadelphia, Amaro was dismissed from the Phillies and Klentak found himself interviewing for the latter's post.
The direction of the organization was clear to Klentak from his initial talks with the club. Once he got the job, he kept with the tone Amaro set, not just in July, but also as an assistant to GM Pat Gillick in the early 2000s.
"I think we need to look no further than how the Phillies built the core of the club that was so dominant in the last decade. They built that club by drafting and developing their own players and then allowing them to reach the big leagues and achieve big things at the big league level," Klentak said. "The best road map for the Phillies moving forward may, in fact, be what the Phillies did about a decade ago."
A month into his tenure, Klentak implemented that focus, acquiring Appel and a different kind of No. 1 overall pick. Amid the trade talks with the Astros, the Phillies selected Goeddel to kick off the Rule 5 Draft.
"I saw the stuff on Twitter and the rumors and whatnot, but at the same time, you don't know for sure if that's going to happen or not," the former Rays prospect said. "I was hopeful, but I didn't hear anything for sure until I heard my name during the Draft. It was an exciting day for sure."
Klentak is confident the outfielder will be able "stick" on the big league roster this season, as Rule 5 mandates, and it's likely Goeddel won't be the only Phillie making a splash at Citizens Bank Park in 2016.
The newest Philadelphia hopefuls visited the stadium in January. The prospects chatted with future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay, toured MLB Network's studios in New Jersey and met singer Montell Jordan at a Philadelphia 76ers game. Surrounded by the fellow future stars of the Phillies, Williams, Goeddel and Appel got energized about what's to come.

"We got a great group of guys and this team's going to be really loaded in the next year or two," said Williams, MLB.com's No. 64 overall prospect. "We have a lot of young talent and a lot of young talent that I feel like is big league-ready at any moment."
Goeddel echoed his new teammates' sentiments.
"There's guys like Nick Williams and Jake Thompson who are close to the big leagues that I think will be able to make an impact pretty soon," the 23-year-old said. "There are so many guys that they either traded for or added through the Draft, it's just a really stocked system right now and it's exciting."
As 2015 came to a close, the Phillies were armed with 13 newly acquired prospects in their Top 30 rankings, including Cornelius Randolph and Scott Kingery from last June's Draft.
One spot the new guys filled had been held by Jesse Biddle since 2011. The Phillies designated their 2010 first-round pick for assignment on Jan. 29, and then five days later shipped him to the Pirates for left-hander Bobby LaFramboise.
"We're all keenly aware of the draft status of the player, the local ties to the player and just the amount of time and resources that the Phillies have devoted to Jesse," Klentak said of the Philadelphia native. "That's not an easy decision to make."
But those moves he and his predecessor made show they believe the true reward comes in being patient.
"I think it says that they are committed to long-term success. I think the way that baseball goes right now is building up a good farm system and then allowing that farm system to develop into good Major League players when they come up and sometimes even great Major League players," Appel said. "I think success in the long term is all about finding that right combination of the free-agent veteran guys and the young guys who are hungry and just playing really well."
Klentak expects big leaguers such as catcher Carlos Ruiz and first baseman Ryan Howard, who were both on that World Series-winning team in 2008, to mix well with the newcomers.
"We've got a nice blend of younger players and veteran players," the GM said. "There are a lot of players competing for spots on the Opening Day roster. I think that lends itself very well to having an energetic camp and a very positive camp. And so far, that's what we've seen."
While Klentak said the timeline for this plan coming together will be ultimately dictated by how quickly each prospect develops, the foundation was laid in 2015.  
"It just seems like the Phillies want to start somewhere and are trying to acquire some quality players. I've gotten to meet some of those guys, Jake and Nick and Tyler. … It's an exciting time to be a Phillie," said Appel, his first official day of camp with a new organization in the books.
"I'm glad to be where I am right now."