mark appel

Mark Appel was a can't-miss prospect when he was drafted by Houston, and when he pitched for the ValleyCats, but didn't make his MLB Debut until this Wednesday.

Pitcher Mark Appel and outfielder Tony Kemp have been named to the U.S. Team in the Futures Game, set to take place on July 12, two days before the MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati. Both players represent the Astros, and both players saw their earliest professional baseball right here in Troy with the Tri-City ValleyCats...

Three months deep into my time in the Albany area, I finally got the chance to head to a Tri-City Valley Cats game at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, covering the pro debut of Mark Appel on July 5.  Here are the Top 5 things about the experience and a game at Bruno that I took away.

There was hype and there was build-up.  People packed Bruno Stadium (sellout crowd in fact) to see the #1 overall pick make his pro debut for the local Tri-City Valley Cats.

The Tri-City Valley Cats take the baseball world by storm with #1 draft pick Mark Appel making his pro debut on Friday vs. Lowell.  The Valley Cats also play Saturday against Lowell and Sunday-Tuesday against Aberdeen.

Hype, excitement and the next big thing all rolled into one rarely come through the town you live in.  Well, exactly that it is happening to The Capital Region.  Mark Appel will make his debut with the Tri-City Valley Cats on July 5 at 7 p.m against the Lowell Spinners at Bruno Stadium.