Though Apostel flashed a low-90s fastball as a 16-year-old right-hander in Curacao, he preferred to hit and signed with the Pirates for $200,000 as a third baseman in 2015. Pittsburgh inked his younger brother Shendrik, a first baseman, for $80,000 two years later but separated the siblings by sending Sherten to the Rangers as the player to be named in the Keone Kela deal in August 2018. When he finally made his full-season debut last year, he slammed 19 homers between two Class A levels at age 20 and Texas fielded constant trade inquiries about him from other clubs.
Apostel has two loud tools in his well above-average raw power and arm. He packs plenty of strength and leverage in his still-growing 6-foot-4 frame, and his pop played from foul pole to foul pole once he added more loft to his right-handed stroke in 2019. There are no plans to move him back to the mound, but he might regularly throw in the mid-90s if he did.
Though his big build results in a naturally long stroke, Apostel doesn't swing and miss excessively, and he maintains a disciplined approach that should allow him to hit for a decent average. He moves well for his size but already is a below-average runner and could slow further as he matures physically, which may mean a move from third base. He's improving at the hot corner but has subpar range and could wind up at first base, where he saw action for the first time last year.
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 65 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50
Apostel drew interest as a right-hander with a low-90s fastball as an amateur in Curacao, but he preferred to hit and signed with the Pirates as a third baseman for $200,000 in 2015. They also signed his brother Shendrik two years later but broke up the siblings when they included Sherten as the player to be named in the Keone Kela trade with the Rangers last summer.
Apostel is still a work in progress offensively but has the upside of at least an average hitter with plus power. He has a strong and still-projectable 6-foot-4 build and shows pop to all fields, though he needs to adjust his right-handed stroke to get more balls in the air after posting an extreme 1.5 groundout/airout ratio in his first three seasons. He controls the strike zone well and makes repeated contact.
Though he's athletic for his size, Apostel could wind up as a below-average runner once he fills out his big frame. He moves well and has a big arm at third base, though he has been an erratic defender early in his career. If he can't become more consistent or he slows down too much, he could wind up at first base.
