Appel is a fucking headcase. I hated that pick then as much as I hate it now. Bryant was clearly the guy at 1-1 that year but I think there was some hesitation on the organization's part to skip a potential TOR arm two drafts in a row. He has good pure stuff but his fastball has 0 movement and was getting hit around pretty well at the MiLB level, not to mention constant control issues. I dont think hes got TOR ceiling anymore. Id probably call his ceiling around a Jason Marquis level. Dude you know should have stuff to dominate but never puts it together.
As far as Velasquez goes.. The dude has tremendous stuff, better than Appel IMO. If he can keep the walks down, he can be a very good pitcher. There is apparently some questions on his shoulder, which was the rumored reason why Derek Fisher got bumped out of the trade for Appel. The rest of the trade is filler, honestly.