Any chance of nursing Mark Prior back to health?

[EhDubya]

What is your problem? Let it go.

[Sammy Sofa]

NO, I WILL NOT MAKE OUT WITH YOU.

[illiniguy]

i'd rather throw money at mark prior than guys like aaron miles

 

I don't know anyone who wouldn't.

Jim Hendry

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure Prior and/or Prior's dad were placing the blame for his arm problems directly on Dusty and the Cubs.

[NCCubFan]

My recollection was that the Cubs were insisting on a club option for a second year to avoid paying him to rehabilitate for another team. Prior wasn't willing to accept the option so the Cubs said bye bye.

[TruffleShuffle]

i would much rather pay 20 grand to watch mark prior play soft toss, sit a whirlpool, hop in an mri machine and fly to birmingham than spend 95 million to watch soriano not be good at baseball for the next five years.

[davearm2]

I'm always amazed that there isn't a little more sympathy for Prior. Conservatively, injuries cost him $100M in career earnings. It would have been closer to $200M, if he could've lasted as long as guys like Maddux and Clemens and Big Unit.

 

The dude essentially won the lottery only to realize his wife sent the ticket through the laundry.

 

Now I realize he should be set for life with the money he made regardless, but still, man that's a lot of dough. Almost unfathomable, really.

[SouthSideRyan]

I feel awful for Mark Prior. Not just the injuries, but the way he was treated by the media and fans, and turned into a really stupid punchline for awful jokes.

[Tarver]

I'm always amazed that there isn't a little more sympathy for Prior. Conservatively, injuries cost him $100M in career earnings. It would have been closer to $200M, if he could've lasted as long as guys like Maddux and Clemens and Big Unit.

 

The dude essentially won the lottery only to realize his wife sent the ticket through the laundry.

 

Now I realize he should be set for life with the money he made regardless, but still, man that's a lot of dough. Almost unfathomable, really.

 

On the other side, it could be argued that guys like Prior and Nomar were fortunate to last as long as they did considering how fragile their bodies have proven to be.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm always amazed that there isn't a little more sympathy for Prior. Conservatively, injuries cost him $100M in career earnings. It would have been closer to $200M, if he could've lasted as long as guys like Maddux and Clemens and Big Unit.

 

The dude essentially won the lottery only to realize his wife sent the ticket through the laundry.

 

Now I realize he should be set for life with the money he made regardless, but still, man that's a lot of dough. Almost unfathomable, really.

 

On the other side, it could be argued that guys like Prior and Nomar were fortunate to last as long as they did considering how fragile their bodies have proven to be.

 

I think Prior proved to be as "fragile" as almost any other pitcher that would suffer those injuries. It's not like he just started breaking down: it took a pair of traumatic in-game injuries couple with rookie overuse to bring him down.

[Guest]

On the other side, it could be argued that guys like Prior and Nomar were fortunate to last as long as they did considering how fragile their bodies have proven to be.

 

Prior threw 235 innings at the age of 22. Is he fragile or did the Cubs ruin him?

[Tarver]

It wasn't meant as a slight against him; he was certainly abused. But some guys' bodies can handle it, others cannot. No amount of "nutting up" or similiar nonsense can make him do something his body is obviously incapable of.

[Sammy Sofa]

It wasn't meant as a slight against him; he was certainly abused. But some guys' bodies can handle it, others cannot. No amount of "nutting up" or similiar nonsense can make him do something his body is obviously incapable of.

 

It's not just about the "abuse;" the guy suffered two serious injuries (the basepath collision and the linedrive off the elbow) that would sideline most pitchers.

[Bote McBoteface]

Yeah, not a whole lot of guys would be able to handle what Prior went through without the same results.

 

He collided with Marcus Giles, landed directly on his throwing shoulder, roller around in pain for a while, then pitched the next inning. He was far from fragile.

[Cajun_Connection]

Hi. Some fellows seem to forget that Mr. Prior and Mr. Woods singlehandedly saved this franchise in 2003. They deserve all our support.

 

Count me in on sining "Magic Mark" This guy can still get the job done! :cool:

[E.J.]

Hi. Some fellows seem to forget that Mr. Prior and Mr. Woods singlehandedly saved this franchise in 2003. They deserve all our support.

 

Count me in on sining "Magic Mark" This guy can still get the job done! :cool:

 

Welcome to the forum. I don't agree with you in saying Prior and Wood "saved the franchise" though. I didn't know the franchise was in trouble of falling apart. Also, it's 2010 and Prior hasn't pitched a meaningful inning in years. It really is time to move on already.

[illiniguy]

It wasn't meant as a slight against him; he was certainly abused. But some guys' bodies can handle it, others cannot. No amount of "nutting up" or similiar nonsense can make him do something his body is obviously incapable of.

 

It's not just about the "abuse;" the guy suffered two serious injuries (the basepath collision and the linedrive off the elbow) that would sideline most pitchers.

Yeah he did pitch very well after the first one, but the second one that I think did him in. It's too bad.

[Cajun_Connection]

Hi. Some fellows seem to forget that Mr. Prior and Mr. Woods singlehandedly saved this franchise in 2003. They deserve all our support.

 

Count me in on sining "Magic Mark" This guy can still get the job done! :cool:

 

Welcome to the forum. I don't agree with you in saying Prior and Wood "saved the franchise" though. I didn't know the franchise was in trouble of falling apart. Also, it's 2010 and Prior hasn't pitched a meaningful inning in years. It really is time to move on already.

 

Hi. I must disagree with you. This young man is not even thirty, and he has shown the spiritual strength and tenacity to overcome small obstacles. I have faith he can make it back and be the big game pitcher like he was.

[Guest]

Hi. Some fellows seem to forget that Mr. Prior and Mr. Woods singlehandedly saved this franchise in 2003. They deserve all our support.

 

Count me in on sining "Magic Mark" This guy can still get the job done! :cool:

 

Welcome to the forum. I don't agree with you in saying Prior and Wood "saved the franchise" though. I didn't know the franchise was in trouble of falling apart. Also, it's 2010 and Prior hasn't pitched a meaningful inning in years. It really is time to move on already.

 

Hi. I must disagree with you. This young man is not even thirty, and he has shown the spiritual strength and tenacity to overcome small obstacles. I have faith he can make it back and be the big game pitcher like he was.

 

But, why would he want to play for the organization that basically ruined him? It was the organization's responsibility to limit his inning and pitch counts. It was the organization's responsibility to not send him back out to the mound after landing on his shoulder in a basepath collision. It was the organization's responsibility to make sure they didn't bring him back to early from his injuries. It was the organization's responsibility to make sure they babied him early in his career so that we could enjoy the fruit for 15 years, not 1 1/2 years. Mark Prior missed out on a hundred million dollars or so because the people in charge didn't protect him from injury. More importantly, not having Mark Prior and his electric 2003 stuff in the Cubs rotation for the last 6 years hasn't done much for their playoff hopes, either.

 

It sucks for Cub fans and it sucks for Mark Prior. But, it is what it is. That Mark Prior is gone forever. Seeing Mark Prior run into the Reds dugout to punch Dusty Baker right in the face would make for some pretty entertaining television, however.

[NCCubFan]

I could see Prior signing with the Cubs if they were the ONLY team willing to give him a chance. Otherwise I think too many bridges have been burned.

[Garwilly]

Hi. Some fellows seem to forget that Mr. Prior and Mr. Woods singlehandedly saved this franchise in 2003. They deserve all our support.

 

Count me in on sining "Magic Mark" This guy can still get the job done! :cool:

 

Tiger was never a Cub, he doesn't even play baseball.

[Splendid Splinter]

Yeah, not a whole lot of guys would be able to handle what Prior went through without the same results.

 

He collided with Marcus Giles, landed directly on his throwing shoulder, roller around in pain for a while, then pitched the next inning. He was far from fragile.

 

 

Seriously... I remember that game. How the heck did Dusty kept Prior in the game after that collision??? ugh... Prior's 2003 gamelogs is just sickening... Only 4 games under 100 pitches and 7 more under 110 so 19 starts were 110+ and 5 of those 125+ (4 of them in the last month of the season)... I know people complain about pitch counts and pitchers need to pitch more/go deeper into the game (I'm one of those guys)... But in Prior's case... they needed to limit his pitches for like 2 years and let him get used to 100 pitches and keep him fresh then after that, let him go and pitch 110+ a game. I'm all about a heavy workload, but don't do that when they're in their first couple years... esp. when you had a bonafide stud like Prior. Just like Dwight Gooden as well.

 

But again... with Prior's inverted W arm motion, people pretty much knew that he was going to get injured eventually and that it was a matter of time. Of course all of his injuries didn't help and actually made his mechanics worse, but I really wouldn't be surprised that if Prior stayed healthy and injury free with the Cubs that he probably had a TJS (or two) by now or even his career was over.

 

A good example of what Prior's workload/pitch count should've been... Look at Lincecum's 2009 gamelogs and see his pitch count per game... That's AFTER a little over a season and half under his belt.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?n1=linceti01&t=p&year=2009

[WrigleyField 22]

I sympathize for Prior and have no hate for him, but we can give a minor league contract to any average baseball player in his early to mid twenties, and he has a better chance of helping the team than Prior.

 

We could just keep giving him minor league contracts until he's like 40 as an apology though. I'd be okay with that.

[Dallas Green]

I'm always amazed that there isn't a little more sympathy for Prior. Conservatively, injuries cost him $100M in career earnings. It would have been closer to $200M, if he could've lasted as long as guys like Maddux and Clemens and Big Unit.

 

The dude essentially won the lottery only to realize his wife sent the ticket through the laundry.

 

Now I realize he should be set for life with the money he made regardless, but still, man that's a lot of dough. Almost unfathomable, really.

 

On the other side, it could be argued that guys like Prior and Nomar were fortunate to last as long as they did considering how fragile their bodies have proven to be.

 

Yeah, especially after steriods testing :shock:

[Sammy Sofa]

Yeah, it's not like they suffered catastrophic injuries during a game or anything. It must have been the 'roids.