Mark Prior

[C.C.]

What can Prior do after his playing days? When baseball is all you've known for your entire life, and it comes to an end before you're 30, what do you do?

 

If he invested well - relax.

[kujay]

I think that bridge has been burned.

 

And then some.

[Clem Fandango]

My brother is convinced the Cubs are bringing him back and that he is still awesome.

[Gmoney08]

Does anybody know of a place where I can watch a game with the good Prior pitching in it? Like maybe his ML debut?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200306260.shtml

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200309160.shtml

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200409300.shtml

 

Find those games. Masterpieces.

 

I was just glancing through game logs, and in the 2003 season, Mark Prior gave up more than three earned runs four times. Four, in thirty starts.

 

I will never forget his 2003, which barring some sort of miracle will always be the best season I will ever see a Cubs pitcher have. 2.43 ERA. A K/9 ratio of 10.4 and a K:BB ratio of almost 5:1. WHIP of 1.10. 178 ERA+. 18 wins. Ridiculous.

 

To think he had that season at age 22 IIRC? Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Everytime I think I finally forgot about Prior someone posts a stat like that and it pops in my mind that he was only 22!!!!!!!!!! It just makes my stomach turn to think how good he could have been...

[Bote McBoteface]

I think he was 23.

 

And one of those starts where he allowed more than 3 earned runs was early in the year vs. the Astros. He allowed 6 earned that day, and most of them (maybe all of them?) were due to an error that was ruled a hit. Had those runs been unearned it would be only 3 times he allowed more than 3 earned runs. It also would have significantly lowered his ERA, and possibly given him the Cy Young award.

[Monco]

Look at what Prior did and then look at Mark Fidrych.

[illiniguy]

Prior is a badass. To have that year in '03 at that age was amazing. Horrible what happened to him.

[Outshined_One]

It's official.

 

The San Diego Padres have released right-hander Mark Prior. Prior was rehabbing shoulder injuries this season, he had yet to play in a live game.

 

Prior signed with the Padres as a free agent prior to the 2008 season and missed the entire year after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder on June 4, 2008.

[CliftonHanger]

QUICK!!! Hendry, Sign him!!! Couldn't be any worse than Chad Fox, right? :grin:

[Jehrico]

Let's get another guy on the 60 day DL so we have more postseason roster flexibility. #-o

[Irrelevant Dude]

QUICK!!! Hendry, Sign him!!!

Can he close?

[Cubfanintheknow]

The "Transactions" section of Wednesday's Kenosha News had this item in small print:

 

San Diego Padres Released RHP Mark Prior.

 

Pretty sad that Prior's release--if indeed this is the end of his career--is noted in an abbreviated sentence, considering how much potential the guy had.

[rynefan]

It really is hard to believe, still!! I thought he was gonna be a franchise guy, possibly a future HOFer. W

[Magnetic Curses]

that's sad, and depressing.

[erik316wttn]

It really is hard to believe, still!! I thought he was gonna be a franchise guy, possibly a future HOFer. W

 

And to think we could have traded him straight up for Tejada.

[Jehrico]

There's alot of guys we could have traded him straight up for that I would have rather had than Tejada.

[illiniguy]

There's alot of guys we could have traded him straight up for that I would have rather had than Tejada.

Didn't Boston offer Manny Ramirez?

[17 Seconds]

It really is hard to believe, still!! I thought he was gonna be a franchise guy, possibly a future HOFer. W

 

And to think we could have traded him straight up for Tejada.

 

or maybe even a player who was worth prior at the time

[Illini Iceman]

There's alot of guys we could have traded him straight up for that I would have rather had than Tejada.

Didn't Boston offer Manny Ramirez?

 

If the Cubs wanted Ramirez they could have just claimed him off irrevocable waivers and had him for no players in return. They just didn't want to pay him. Neither did any other team. Oops.

[DiamondMind]

Just sad. :(

[Rob]

It really is hard to believe, still!! I thought he was gonna be a franchise guy, possibly a future HOFer. W

 

And to think we could have traded him straight up for Tejada.

 

There's a bunch of myths surrounding that supposed trade... there was never a straight up offer.

 

The Cubs offered Prior for Tejada and Bedard.

 

The Orioles offered Tejada for Prior and Pie.

[NCCubFan]

The Orioles offered Tejada for Prior and Pie.

In hindsight Hendry obviously should have accepted that offer. But I wouldn't have done it at the time.

[DiamondMind]

Remember when he buzzed Bonds? Bonds starts walking out to the mound, doing the Im a big tough guy routine, and Prior looks at him, smirks, and makes a "come and get it" hand motion to Barry. I loved Prior ever since that. the guy was such a gamer.

 

and btw, NONE of us would of made that tejada deal at the time.

[Andy]

Yep. I had a picture of that incident as part of my screen saver for a long time. Prior was also the one who got into a mini-war of words with Steve Kline that season IIRC. He was just awesome.

[bcl412]

This thread just put me into a state of depression.