Jackson Appel has been selected by the Chicago White Sox, and the Phillies add Eli Trop.
Left: 2023 Penn graduate Jackson Appel; right: 2024 graduate Eli Trop.
(Images: Courtesy of Penn Athletics)
In a sixth-round selection,2023 graduate Jackson Appel became the latest Penn baseball player to have his name called in the MLB Draft, taken with the 169th pick by the Chicago White Sox.
Closer to home, the Philadelphia Phillies selected Eli Trop in the 16th round on the final day of the Draft.
Appel’s standout career with the Quakers lasted four years. In 2023, he was a first-team All-Ivy catcher, starting all 50 games. He led the team in runs, triples, and walks, while helping Penn to the inaugural Ivy League Tournament title and first NCAA regional berth since 1995.
Appel is the 24th different player in program history to be selected in the MLB Draft and just the fourth catcher—first since Matt O'Neill in 2019—to be taken. Appel is the highest drafted Quaker since Doug Glanville in 1991.
Trop spent three seasons with the Quakers, leading the bullpen the last two years as the team won back-to-back Ivy League Tournament titles and went to the NCAA regional in both seasons. Trop made 21 appearances out of the bullpen in 2024, going 3-2 with a 3.33 ERA. He struck out 32 batters and walked just 15.
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