Mark Prior
From Sports Library
| Chicago Cubs — No. 22 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: September 7 1980 (age 28) | |
|---|---|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| May 22, 2002 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
|
| Wins-Losses | 42 - 29 |
| ERA | 3.51 |
| Strikeouts | 757 |
Mark William Prior (born September 7, 1980 in San Diego, California, USA) is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Iowa Cubs, the Class AAA affiliate of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs.
His repertoire of pitches includes a low to mid 90's fastball, a curveball, a slurve, and a changeup.
Prior graduated from University of San Diego High School. He was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1998 amateur draft, but they were unable to sign him to a contract.
Contents |
College career
He would go on to attend USC, where he won the Golden Spikes Award (he attended his father's alma mater, Vanderbilt University, for his freshman year), given annually to the best collegiate baseball player in the U.S. After becoming a professional baseball player, he continued his education on a part-time basis and received a business degree from USC Marshall School of Business in 2004.
Major League career
Prior re-entered the draft and was the 2nd overall pick in the draft behind Joe Mauer, who became the first catcher in the American League to win the batting title.
In 2003, he finished third in the National League's Cy Young Award voting after compiling an 18-6 win-loss record despite missing three starts after an on-field collision with Atlanta Braves second baseman Marcus Giles. Prior and Giles had both been chosen to play in the 2003 All-Star Game, but were forced to miss the game as a result of their injuries.
After Prior's stint on the disabled list came to an end, he compiled a 10-1 record, leading the Cubs into the playoffs, where they beat the Braves in the first round before losing to the eventual World Series Champion Florida Marlins in the NLCS despite a tightly contested seven game battle. Prior was on the mound for the infamous Steve Bartman incident. After the incident, the Cubs would go on to lose the game as well as Game 7 after being 5 outs away from a World Series birth.
Prior was forced to miss the first two months of the 2004 season due to an achilles tendon injury. There were published reports stating that Prior would need reconstructive Tommy John surgery on his elbow, but both Prior and the Cubs flatly denied this, saying that his achilles tendon injury is the only reason he missed time in 2004. After coming off the disabled list Prior did not pitch up to expectations, leading to more speculation about the health of his arm. However, towards the end of the 2004 season, Prior seemed to return to form.
Prior's 2005 season was again marred with numerous missed games due to injuries. After starting the season on DL again, he returned and pitched well in the early part of the season. However, on May 27, Prior was hit on his right (pitching) elbow by a 117-mph comeback line drive off the bat of Brad Hawpe, giving him a compression fracture. This sent him to another stint on the DL. Coincidentally, Hawpe, when playing for LSU in the 2000 College World Series, had hit a three-run home run off Prior that eliminated USC from contention that year. Prior finished 11-7 in 27 starts.
During the 2005 off-season, Prior was mentioned as part of a possible deal for Baltimore Orioles's shortstop Miguel Tejada, but this trade did not come to pass. His bad luck would continue in Spring Training of 2006 when he was put on a slow throwing program. After feeling stiffness in his throwing shoulder, he went to Los Angeles to get an MRI. Though final results weren't expected until March 18, 2006, it was announced on March 16 that Prior had a strained shoulder. On March 28, 2006, it was announced Prior was being placed on the 15 day DL, effectively missing the start of the 2006 MLB season. His 2006 debut came about on June 18th, when he was shelled by the Detroit Tigers, giving up 6 runs in the first inning and lasted just 3.2 innings before being pulled. Prior was 0-4 in four starts with a 7.71 ERA, until he was once again put on the disabled list July 14, after straining his left oblique while taking batting practice. He returned on July 21 to play against the Washington Nationals. He pitched 3.1 innings before he was pulled out of the game (for which he earned a no-decision). Three games later, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he got his first win.
On August 14, Prior was again placed on the disabled list (tendonitis) for the remainder of the season. He finished 2006 with a 1-6 record and a 7.21 ERA. In the off season, the Cubs reported that Prior suffers from a "loose shoulder" which leads to injuries and means he has to do more conditioning work. Being eligible for arbitration, Prior then proceeded to ask for a pay raise from $3.65 million 2006 to $3.875 million for 2007. The Cubs avoided arbitration with Prior when he settled for a one year $3.575 million contract for 2007. [1] After losing his spot in the starting rotation to Wade Miller, Prior was optioned to Triple-A Iowa for the start of the season.
Prior will miss the rest of the 2007 baseball season after going through season-ending surgery. [2]
Going Deeper
This brief history of Mark Prior first appeared on [3]:
...in which the difference between Southern California and Texas is once again illustrated.
In the American literary classic "Semi-Tough" by Dan Jenkins, Country music semi-legend Elroy Blunt had just bet his life savings on his old friends Billy Clyde Puckett, Marvin "Shake" Tiller, and the Giants in the Super Bowl. As Puckett is dough-popped while returning the opening kickoff and fumbles away the ball for an easy Jets touchdown, Blunt collapses into his seat, looks down between his knees, and drunkenly mumbles: "I knew it... you shouldn't never want nothin' this much..."
Later, as the Giants waged a furious comeback, he once again collapses, looks UP this time, and addresses God. "Lord, it's 28-24, and you know I'm a sinner... what kind of f###in is it gonna be?"
Are you with me so far? Now you know how I felt: after the Twins made the decision in 2001 to draft "affordable" Joe Mauer, leaving the so-called "Greatest Collegiate Pitcher Ever" available for the Cubs at #2, after he accepted our contract offer, after he was rushed through the farm system, after he won 18 games for the 2003 Division Champions, and as he walked to the mound for Game 6 of the NLCS, I too looked up to the heavens. Lord, you know I'm a sinner... what kind of f###in is it gonna be?
Since then, Mark Prior suffered the greatest single-game collapse in baseball history, sprained his Achilles, tweaked his elbow, had his elbow fractured, strained his shoulder and pulled his obliques. I knew it was too good to be true... you shouldn't never want nothin' this much. There's no way God allows the Greatest Collegiate Pitcher Ever to just fall into our laps. It's gotten to the point where I can't even find a Mark Prior autograph baseball on eBay for the Basement of Wonder, because the mere act of his holding one to sign it might cause a career-threatening injury. If you want actual game-used Mark Prior memorabilia, you have to settle for a bullpen towel:
So... anyhoo. Texas vs. SoCal. Kerry Wood was born less than 3 years before Prior, so why is he Old School and Prior most definitely not? I read something yesterday, and my apologies for not being able to find it to give credit for where it is due, but the story likened Wood to a guy who drives his car balls out, all the time, to the point where parts grind together and tear apart, and Prior is the guy who hears a ping, and brings his car straight to the dealer for fine tuning.
Maybe that's the Texas vs. SoCal thing: Texans are fiercely competitive; SoCals don't even keep score in their organized sports until the High School varsity level for fear of causing grave harm to young psyches.
Wood once threw 160 pitches in a high school game; Prior's efforts have been monitored and charted since tee-ball. Wood was drafted, signed, and was pitching weeks after high school graduation; Prior changed colleges, turned down previous draft offers, and held out the entire summer after we drafted him. I'm all about taking care of your fine possessions, and certainly Woody tends to cross the line between Dare-devil and Dumb-ass. But when your team is counting on you, and paying you multi-millions...but this song has been on heavy rotation in Cub Universe for some time now.
I won't play the whole tune again, just give you three notes: Mark. Is. Soft. What's the outlook? Muscle pulls and joint pains aside, Mark Prior is in one piece. There is no reason to believe that he will go the way of Mark Fidrych. Someday, I figure he is going to realize that he has to bear down and pitch with pain, and he is going to dominate. He has command, control, and tons o' stuff, if not the best baseball judgment. He needs to learn to Play baseball, not just Perform baseball.
I fear, though, that this is going to take more time. He IS entering the 27-32 year old prime of his career this year, but I have not heard anything that suggests that he realizes he has hit rock bottom, as his friend Wood had last year. It is human nature that most people won't embark on true, lasting change until they have hit rock bottom, and the only two events that could possibly wake Prior up are: a surgical-grade injury (that he will never allow to occur), OR, to be made a free agent, and not command the monetary respect that the "Greatest Collegiate Pitcher Ever" should have.
Suffice to say, for yet another player, that if he ever should have his personal epiphany, it won't be while he's wearing Cubbie Blue. So why have we kept him for 2007, when so many holes needed filling? I figured that his name alone, attached to his 2003 season and his still positive career metrics (W-L, K/BB, WHIP, ERA) would still have trade value? Or has his fussy reputation even destroyed that?
Like any lover scorned, I once had unhealthy man-love for Employee #22, and he took it and frittered it away with his constant complaints. He does nothing for me anymore, doesn't even take out the trash, he just stands there every day, making pantomime pitching motions with his "terrible towel", telling me that he's going to take care of me, he just has to 'find himself', he has to 'feel whole', he has to be 100% healthy, and he can't help me until he can help himself. Well, I'm moving on, I'm moving out, I'm looking for a new love, somebody who will always be there, somebody who cares, for me.
The next section also appeared in [4]
So, here's a funny one.
Do any of you recall Mark Prior the Hitter right before he came up to the majors the first time? Didn't he, like, hit three homers and a triple in six plate appearences in Iowa during his first two AAA starts? I know he hasn't become the major league hitter that Big Z, or even Kerry Wood has, but I figure that is due to his, um, intense concentration on being the best pitcher he can be.
So, look, since he's obviously having trouble getting people out as a pitcher anymore, and since we may have some corner outfield openings in the next year or two...what say we throw in the towel on his pitching career, and send him back down to tha farm with the premise of learning how to play the outfield? Really funny stuff, huh?
Except I'm not trying to be. Let's face it, kids. We're in Ankiel territory now with the former Best College Pitcher Ever. You can believe what you want to believe about him, you can think he's going to regain his 2003 form, and you can address this particular problem with the baseball perspective from following the Cubs since the legendary Sammy Sosa days.
But this guy Prior is a head case. Doctors are lining up to examine him and declare him physically intact, but he himself thinks he's flawed, and there isn't a long track record of guys who have brought themselves back from this kind of psychological disorder.
Sunk cost. You can't trade him for any value, you probably shouldn't release him. Try to get out of him what you can. Send him down and have him re-invent himself as a hitter.
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
| 2003 National League Central Champion Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Kenny Lofton CF | 2. Mark Grudzielanek 2B | 3. Sammy Sosa RF | 4. Moises Alou LF | 5. Aramis Ramirez 3B | 6. Eric Karros/Randall Simon 1B | 7. Alex Gonzalez SS | 8. Damian Miller C Starting Pitchers: Mark Prior | Kerry Wood | Carlos Zambrano | Matt Clement | Shawn Estes |
