Former top draft pick Mark Appel writes letter to Astros fans

In happier times, Mark Appel (left) accepts congratulations from Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow after being introduced following his first-overall selection in the 2013 draft. In happier times, Mark Appel (left) accepts congratulations from Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow after being introduced following his first-overall selection in the 2013 draft. Photo: Smiley N. Pool Photo: Smiley N. Pool Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Former top draft pick Mark Appel writes letter to Astros fans 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Mark Appel never pitched in a major-league game at Minute Maid Park.

That said, he still has a message for the Astros fans who never got to see him pitch for his hometown team.

RELATED: Mark Appel calls being drafted first overall 'a blessing and a curse'

A few months after being traded - and less than three years after being drafted first overall by the Astros in 2013 - Appel penned an open letter to Astros fans on his blog "First Round Reflections."

The 1,576-word letter, titled "Dear Astros Fans" touched on his appreciation for the Astros fans who treating him well during his star-crossed stay in the organization before it ended with a December trade to the Phillies that brought Ken Giles to the Astros.

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"I'm simply saying that you, Astros fans, always treated me well and remained hopeful for my success with the Astros even through the bad times. You made my time in the Astros organization exciting and fun. You gave me an added hunger to play better to get to Minute Maid."

Appel also reflected on dealing with the expectations that came with his draft status.

"I know many of you deal with having high expectations placed on you from work, your family, yourself, etc. The only difference between mine and yours is the public nature of my expectation. Baseball fans know where I was drafted. My signing bonus is a Google search away. And every Astros fan anticipated I would be a cornerstone of the Astros' future. That is how being picked 1-1 works: you're supposed to pan out quickly. This all translates to expectation, not just from myself, or the Astros front office and staff, but from thousands of Houston Astros baseball fans, and millions of baseball fans across the country."

Appel also addressed the way he approached things as an Astros farmhand with a parable of sorts.

"Two guys both work extremely hard at their jobs. The first guy never jokes around, never has fun, is all work and no play. He finds his worth only in how successful he is, the results from his job. Failure is not an option. The second guy relishes the journey. He wants to learn, grow and ultimately succeed, but understands failure is just another step along his path. He is a great friend and knows there is a time to be serious and a time to have fun, to be light-hearted. Nobody wants to be around one of those guys; everyone wants to be around the other. One guy drains energy from his surroundings and the other gives energy others. I was the first guy for part of my time with the Astros. I want to be the second guy.

"I squandered too many moments with the Astros because I took things way too seriously. I couldn't laugh at myself when I made mistakes. I had to be perfect to have fun. And humans aren't perfect... especially playing baseball, a game where all stars give up 3 runs a game and fail at the plate 7 out of 10 times! Baseball is a game of failure. Life brings about failure too. Friends, not being able to have joy is no way to live."

Appel also thanked a variety of past and current coaches and teammates and a bevy of Astros officials, including owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow.

You can read the full letter here.