 Appleton spent more than 20 years as a scout and manager in minor league baseball.He was a player-manager for the Sherman-Denison Twins in 1949, the Augusta Tigers in 1950, and the Erie Sailors in 1951.He also had stints as a manager for the Roanoke Rapids Jays (1952), Charlotte Hornets (1954, 1970), Atlanta Crackers (1964), and Wisconsin Rapids Twins (1965).