Mark DeRosa is currently the only Penn alumnus playing baseball in the Major Leagues, but some others are trying to join him.
This summer Josh Appell, Bill Kirk and Nick Pulos each reacted differently to the opportunity to join DeRosa in the big leagues.
Pulos was the only Penn baseball player to be selected in the 2005 MLB Draft, taken in the 38th round by the Oakland Athletics. However, Pulos opted to stay at Penn for his senior year and take his chances on being drafted again in 2006.
Appell and Kirk, like many high school and collegiate players, dreamt of being drafted and playing on the hallowed fields that dot the American landscape.
Though neither was drafted in June, both jumped at the chance to sign rookie free-agent contracts with major league organizations. Both will have to prove themselves from the bottom up if they are to succeed.
Kirk signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team he has rooted for since he was a child.
The Phillies signed Kirk after a workout in front of scouts at Citizen's Bank Park this August.
At Penn, Kirk struck out 95 batters in 137.2 innings. In his senior year he went 2-3 with a 4.97 ERA. Kirk will report to Phillies camp next March to begin his professional career.
The Mets signed Appell, like Kirk, after working out for scouts. Appell too has rooted for the Mets all his life. Appell immediately reported to the Gulf Coast League Mets, the rookie team, after being signed.
He came home on Monday after his GCL Mets were defeated by the GCL Yankees for the league championship. Appell is extremely positive about his experience, stating, "I had an incredible summer."
Appell entered 10 games in relief for the GCL Mets, accumulating an ERA of 4.91 over 18.1 innings. Appell's record is 2-0 with one save and an impressive 24 strikeouts.
Appell felt that he "dominated" with the exception of one bad performance. On August 20th, Appell could not retire a batter while giving up five runs against the GCL Dodgers.
Appell, like Kirk, is now off until next March. In the meantime he will look for a job in New York while following the Mets' off-season manual for an athleticprogram.
On an interesting note, Matt Kutler of the GCL Marlins, a former Brown player, produced the first hit against Appell. Appell's last out of his collegiate career came on a strikeout of Kutler.
