An Ivy Leaguer, Cyclones reliver Josh Appell is pitching smart, too.
Coming off last year’s rocky season, the lefty developed a slider in the off-season — and now is dominating the NY-Penn league, yielding just three runs in 13 appearances this season.
“Working on my slider was one of the smartest things I could have ever done,” said the brainy University of Pennsylvania graduate and Long Island native, who has a 1.93 ERA so far.
“The slider has helped me and I think it makes things much easier for me. I’m happy, but I’m not satisfied yet.”
With the slider now in an arsenal of pitches that includes a low-90s fastball, a changeup and a curveball, Appell looks like a new pitcher on the mound and has been able to put a mediocre 2006 completely behind him.
“Last year was like a crap shoot, and I didn’t know what was going to happen” from one appearance to the next, said the 24-year-old. “I’m a lot more confident this year.
“I got lost in everything last year. Now I’m proving myself.”
Appell thinks he can become even more dominant, but manager Edgar Alfonzo is more than pleased.
“He’s helped us so much,” said Alfonzo. “I have a lot of confidence bringing him into the game in the late innings. He rarely ever makes a mistake out there. He’s doing an outstanding job.”
