American baseball player and coach (born 1980)
Mark William Prior (born September 7, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. A onetime top prospect of the Chicago Cubs, he pitched for the team from 2002 to 2006 in a career that was marred by injuries. In his prime, his repertoire of pitches included a mid-90s mph fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. He is currently the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Prior engaged Tom House as his pitching tutor in high school. A career at the University of Southern California, where he won the Golden Spikes Award, saw him become one of the top prospects in the 2001 MLB draft, when he was the second overall pick by the Cubs. He made only six appearances in the minor leagues before debuting with the team in 2002. In 2003, he finished third in National League (NL) Cy Young Award voting, ranking among the leaders with 18 wins, a 2.43 earned run average (ERA), and 245 strikeouts. Helping the Cubs win the NL Central title, he outpitched Greg Maddux in the NL Division Series and won Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, but he was on the mound for Game 6 when Steve Bartman prevented Moisés Alou from catching a foul ball.
Prior had pitched a scoreless game up to this point, but the Florida Marlins went on to win the series in seven games after an eighth inning eight-run rally in that game, in which Prior received the loss. In 2004, he was on the disabled list twice but finished the season with a 16-strikeout performance against the Cincinnati Reds. He made 27 starts with the Cubs in 2005 and finished ninth in the NL in strikeouts despite missing some time due to injury. Multiple injuries limited him to nine games in 2006, and he did not pitch at all in 2007 due to tears in his labrum, anterior capsule, and rotator cuff. After the season, the Cubs non-tendered him, letting him become a free agent.
Prior never pitched in the major leagues again after that, though he tried several times. He pitched in the minor leagues for multiple organizations over the next six years before finally retiring at the end of the 2013 season. Once touted as having "perfect" pitching mechanics by "ESPN" and others, his "Inverted W" arm action has been discussed as a possible reason for his lack of durability, as well as Dusty Baker's heavy usage of him during the 2003 season, though Prior himself does not blame Baker for his injuries. Prior accepted a front office position with the San Diego Padres in 2013, then joined the Dodgers in 2018 as a bullpen coach, becoming their pitching coach in 2020.
Amateur career.
Born September 7, 1980, in San Diego, California, Prior was part of an athletic family. Jerry, his father, played college football for Vanderbilt University, and both of Mark's older siblings played sports as well. "Being the youngest of three kids, there's no room for me to step out of line," he quipped. Growing up, Prior attended the University of San Diego High School. As a sophomore, he worked with former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Tom House, who had a business of tutoring young pitchers. Using computer analysis to try to determine the ideal pitching motion, House worked with Prior on his delivery and prescribed a detailed workout regimen which the pitcher would continue to utilize as his career advanced. He was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1998 amateur draft and offered an approximately $1.5 million signing bonus, but the parties were unable to agree on a contract after negotiating all summer, and Prior chose to attend college instead, pursuing a business degree while playing college baseball.
As a freshman, Prior went to Vanderbilt. Tim Corbin later compared him to David Price and Kris Benson. He then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC), posting a 10–7 record his sophomore year and leading the USC Trojans to the 2000 College World Series. USC posted a 16–game winning streak before Prior helped USC reach the College World Series again in 2001, posting a 15–1 record and a 1.69 earned run average (ERA), striking out 202 in ;templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" / ;138+2⁄3 innings while walking just 18. He won several awards that year, including the Dick Howser Trophy, the Golden Spikes Award, and the Rotary Smith Award.
Professional career.
Chicago Cubs.
In 2001, Prior re-entered the draft and was considered "the consensus top player", according to ESPN. He was taken second overall by the Chicago Cubs, behind Joe Mauer, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. The Cubs signed Prior to a contract for $10.5 million, the highest signing bonus for a draft pick until the Washington Nationals gave Stephen Strasburg $15 million in 2009.
After nine starts in the minors, Prior was called up to the big leagues in 2002 as a 21-year-old. He made his Major League debut on May 22 at Wrigley Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates and became one of 14 Cub pitchers since 1920 to win his first major league start by striking out 10 batters over six innings pitched in a 7–4 victory. Teammate Sammy Sosa said, "I was impressed with what he did today. Going out there in front of 40,000 people and throwing the way he did, that was a good sign." On June 7, he threw 128 pitches and struck out 11 while allowing no runs in a 2–0 win over the Seattle Mariners. He threw his first career complete game on August 4, striking out 13, allowing one run, and throwing 136 pitches in a 4–1 win over the Colorado Rockies. "I was kind of surprised that they did send me out there," he said, when he found out he was pitching the ninth. On August 15, he struck out seven hitters in a row, tying the Cubs' record shared by Jamie Moyer and Kerry Wood. In total, he struck out 12 in six innings, earning a no decision in an eventual 6–4 win. During a game against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 31, he was removed because of a strained left hamstring. Two days later, the Cubs announced they were shutting him down for the rest of the year because of the injury. Prior finished his rookie campaign with a 6–6 record with a 3.32 ERA, and 147 strikeouts in ;templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" / ;116+2⁄3 innings pitched. "The Sporting News" called his rookie season "stellar", and he finished seventh in National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award voting.
In his second start of the 2003 season, Prior pitched his first career shutout, striking out 12 and allowing four hits in a 3–0 win over the Montreal Expos. In six innings on May 12, he allowed four runs to the Milwaukee Brewers but struck out 11 and earned the victory in an 11–5 triumph. He struck out 16 Brewers on June 26, allowing two runs in eight innings but getting a no decision in a 5–3 loss. In the second inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves on July 11, Prior had to exit after suffering a violent on-field collision with Atlanta second baseman Marcus Giles. The injury forced him to the disabled list (DL) with shoulder stiffness. Selected as National League All-Stars in 2003, both Prior and fellow right-handed pitcher Kerry Wood were dubbed "Chicago Heat" by "Sports Illustrated". Sportswriter George Vecsey compared them to other famed rotation twosomes, like Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette, or Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. According to CBS Local, sportswriters and fans criticized Cubs manager Dusty Baker on the high pitch counts of the two aces. Prior averaged 113.4 pitches per starts in the regular season, that number rising to 126.1 in September and 122.7 in the playoffs. However, the contributions of the two aces helped lead the Cubs to an 88-win season and an NL Central division title.
Against his hometown San Diego Padres on August 5, Prior returned from the DL, allowing two hits and no runs in six inning and earning the victory in a 3–0 win. After his return, he compiled a 10–1 record, striking out 13, 14, and 10 in his final three starts of the season. On September 27, he gave up two runs and struck out 10 in ;templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" / ;6+2⁄3 innings, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates for the win in Game 1 of a doubleheader. That win brought the Cubs' magic number to one for the division title, and they won the second game to win the division for the first time since 1989. Tied for the second most wins as a NL pitcher with Woody Williams in 2003, Prior finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting after compiling an 18–6 win–loss record. His 2.43 ERA was third in the NL (behind Jason Schmidt's 2.34 and Kevin Brown's 2.39), his 245 strikeouts were topped only by Wood's 266, and his .750 winning percentage was tied with three others for second in the NL behind Schmidt's .773.
In the NL Division Series, the Cubs faced Atlanta, and Prior started Game 3 against former Cub Greg Maddux. Prior allowed two hits and one run, throwing a complete game and striking out seven as the Cubs won 3–1. With a five-game series win over the Braves, the Cubs faced the Florida Marlins in the NL Championship Series. Prior pitched into the eighth inning in Game 2, allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out five in a 12–3 victory, before taking the mound again in Game 6. For seven innings, he threw scoreless ball, allowing just three hits as the Cubs took a 3–0 lead. When Mike Mordecai flew out against him to start the eighth, the Cubs were five outs away from playing in their first World Series since 1945. Then, Juan Pierre hit a double, bringing up Luis Castillo, who hit a foul ball down the left field line that outfielder Moisés Alou gave chase to. The ball came down at the edge of the stands, and Steve Bartman, a fan, reached for it, preventing Alou from making the catch. Castillo went on to walk, and Prior and the Cubs never recovered from the incident. Prior struggled with his command and gave up the lead with the aid of poor defensive play, most notably a booted ground ball by shortstop Alex Gonzalez that might have resulted in a double play. After Derrek Lee hit an RBI double off him that tied the game and put runners at second and third, Prior was removed from the game and replaced with Kyle Farnsworth. The Marlins went on to score eight runs that inning, and Prior was charged with the loss in the 8–3 defeat. The Cubs went on to lose Game 7, and their 94-year-long World Series drought continued.
Prior was forced to miss the first two months of the 2004 season due to an achilles tendon injury and elbow soreness. In his return on June 4, he struck out eight Pirates, allowing two hits and no runs in six innings, though the Cubs lost 2–1. His ERA went up to 5.05 after he gave up seven runs over three innings in an 8–6 loss to San Diego on August 10, and Ramon Hernandez of the Padres noticed a difference. "When I faced Prior the first time in my life he was throwing 96, 97. Today he was throwing 91-94 and he was a little wild and out of the zone. He was hurt for a long time. It might take a little bit of time for him to be the Prior that everybody has seen." Prior posted a 3.06 ERA after that, and in his last three games of the season, he allowed just two runs in ;templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" / ;24+1⁄3 innings. He tied a career-high by striking out 16 Cincinnati Reds over nine innings in his "best game of the season" according to ESPN, though the Cubs went on to lose 2–1 in the 12th inning. Prior finished 2004 with a 6–4 record and a 4.02 ERA in 21 starts, striking out 139 in ;templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" / ;118+2⁄3 innings.
Elbow inflammation caused Prior to start the 2005