Mark Sappington

Mark Joseph Sappington

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 206 lb.
• School Rockhurst University
• High School Raymore-Peculiar High School

• Born November 17, 1990 in Overland Park, KS USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Mark Sappington played in the minor leagues from 2012 to 2016. He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 5th round of the 2012 amateur draft, out of Rockhurst University in his home town of Kansas City, MO and began his pro career that same year.

His first stop was with the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League, going 1-1, 5.15 in 15 games as a starting pitcher. He made good progress in the Angels' system in 2013, starting out in the Class A California League with the Inland Empire 66ers and then earning a mid-year promotion to the Arkansas Travelers of the AA Texas League. He was 11-4, 3.38 in the California League and 1-1, 3.86 in AA to begin earning attention as a top prospect. However, he regressed badly in 2014, playing for the same two teams, but in reverse order: he was 1-4, 6.44 with Arkansas and was sent down to Inland Empire to regain his touch, but it didn't work as he was 3-7, 5.76 at the lower level.

Following his disappointing 2014 season, Mark was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on November 5th in return for major leaguer Cesar Ramos. The Rays used him exclusively as a reliever, a move that had started the year before when he was struggling in Class A. In 2015, he was 3-6, 3.69 with 4 saves in 48 games for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League, back in AA. In 2016, he started the year in AAA with the Durham Bulls in the International League, but struggled to a 1-2 record with an ERA of 4.86 in 29 games. He was sent back down to Montgomery, but did even worse, with a 7.80 ERA in 13 games. He was let go after the season and retired from professional baseball.

He was described as having an excellent fastball but being hampered by control problems to a "funky, max-effort delivery". His progress was also hampered by a lack of effective secondary pitches. After baseball, he went into the coffee business, first with a distributor in his hometown, and later by owning his own downtown coffee shop while also working as a counselor with a local church.