Interview Conducted By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
The Angels selected Sappington in the 5th round of the 2012 amateur draft out of Rockhust, Mo., a Division II school where he went unnoticed after three years of competition. Sappington signed quickly and got to work immediately with the Orem Owlz.
The tall, physical frame allows Sappington to work in the 94-95 range with his fastball, reaching 97, with heavy sink due to a downhill angle which generates a good portion of groundball outs. Sappington also throws a good slider, though inconsistent at times, and a developing changeup which looks average right now. There’s a lot of movement in Sappington’s delivery which causes deception, but there’s cause for concern that it could corrupt his mechanics and command.
Ric Wilson had this to say about Mark Sappington when I asked if he would stick in the rotation or be moved to his bullpen where his good fastball/slider would play out well. “I think at this point Chuck he will continue to start. He is working on some mechanical things and it takes a lot of reps to figure it out, but he has big stuff and his secondary pitches improved as the season progressed all the way through instructional league. He loves to learn and he is not afraid to take it to the mound as he learns it.”
Sappington has started his first full season in High-A with the Inland Empire 66ers with a 5-0 record, posting a minuscule 2.05 ERA while opposing hitters have hit just .204 against as a starting pitcher. Sappington has also fanned 49 batters in 52 2/3 innings.
Click below to check out our recent interview with Mark Sappington, who’s always a fun interview. (Check out last season’s interview with him)
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/66211740 w=500&h=281]
Mark Sappington 05-13-2013 from AngelsWin.com on Vimeo.
Mark Sappington 05-13-2013 from AngelsWin.com on Vimeo.
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