The Stanford Cardinal's 6-foot-5, 215 pound right handed pitcher, Mark Appel, is ranked as the no. 4 overall prospect heading into the MLB Draft by ESPN's Keith Law but Law has him going no. 1 in the draft to the Houston Astros on Monday night.
Law's analysis of Appel is this:
Appel's stuff has been above-average the entire season, but he's battled his command a bit. He'll sit 94-97, touching 99, and flash a plus change and above-average breaking ball. Due to the inconsistent command and an extremely clean arm action, hitters get a better look at his fastball than they should given his velo. With a few tweaks, he has No. 1 starter upside.
Appel has ranked no. 6 and no. 3 (twice) on Law's list of prospects. Appel went 10-1 with a 2.27 ERA this season for the Cardinal with 127 strikeouts while holding batters to a .210 batting average.
For more on Appel and his draft prospects, visit Rule of Tree.