By Andrew Coen
The path to that dream continued this past season when one year after being signed by the team he grew up rooting for, Appell got to move up the ladder in the Mets organization in 2006, including a stint playing in his backyard for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Appell, a 2002 Hewlett High School graduate whose family has been Mets season-ticket holders since 1984, signed a minor league contract with the Mets in July 2005 after a successful career at the University of Pennsylvania.
Appell, who graduated in May 2005 from Penn after four years of pitching for the Ivy League school's baseball team and punting for its football team, was assigned to the Mets Gulf Coast League rookie team in Port St. Lucie, Fla. for 2005 before moving up to the Mets single-A clubs in Hagerstown, Md. and Brooklyn in 2006.
Appell said his 2006 season was filled with ups and downs but that the experience of playing in Brooklyn before near capacity crowds each night had the thrill of playing in the major leagues.
"It's almost like playing in the big leagues there," said Appell, whose family and friends attended each game. "It was definitely a great experience."
The Hewlett High School alumnus got the chance to meet with some of his favorite Met players during the season, including left fielder Cliff Floyd and catcher Ramon Castro, who were Appell's teammates for a few games in Brooklyn during their rehabilitation from injuries.
"Growing up a Met fan, it was great to be in that environment," said Appell.
Appell, who moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation after his sophomore season at Penn, led the Quakers in strikeouts his last two seasons, and had a 13-strikeout performance against Columbia on March 25, 2005. He also excelled for Penn on the football field, helping the Quakers win two Ivy League titles as the team's punter and being unanimously selected first-team All-Ivy League in 2004. Appell was also interested in a career in the National Football League as a punter, and two weeks before being signed by the Mets, was given a tryout by the Buffalo Bills.
Appell is the first Hewlett-Woodmere alumnus to play pro baseball since Mike Russo was signed by the Kansas City Royals organization in 1998. If Appell can move up the ladder in the minor leagues, perhaps the Five Towner will have a chance to play October baseball and bring a World Series crown to the team he has always rooted for.
Comments about this story? Acoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
