We Come To Bury Prior, Not To Praise Him

Bruce Miles' srticle in the Daily Herald reads more like an obituary than like a story about another Mark Prior injury:

Prior, whom the Cubs optioned to their Class AAA Iowa farm club during the last week of spring training, exited Thursday morning’s extended-spring start in Arizona after only 2 innings, complaining of discomfort in his right shoulder.

The 26-year-old right-hander is scheduled to see orthopedic specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum in California “for further evaluation over the next several days,” according to a statement released by the Cubs.
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The Cubs drafted Prior out of the University of Southern California with the third overall pick in 2001. He made his major-league debut in 2002, and in 2003 he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA in helping lead the Cubs to the National League championship series.

Beginning in 2004, Prior has opened every season on the disabled list, with ailments that included elbow inflammation, Achilles’ tendinitis and a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder.

Prior suffered a broken right elbow after being hit by a line drive in May 2005. In addition to the shoulder problems, a strained left oblique muscle put him on the DL last year.

When the Cubs sent Prior to the minor leagues March 29, he struck a somewhat defiant tone and said he felt he was ready to pitch in the big leagues.

“When you’re an employee, you don’t really have a whole lot of say, so there wasn’t much for me to say,” he said at the time. “I’m not a guy who’s going to get all bothered and start yelling. The decision’s made. You accept it. You move on.”

Prior has a lifetime record of 42-29 with a 3.51 ERA.

The next time this page talks about Mark Prior will be when the Cubs activate him, trade him, or release him.