Mark Prior

The Gift

Mark William Prior (born September 7, 1980 in San Diego, California) is a pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He played for the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2006. His career has been notably muddled with injuries after a promising start which had the sports media calling him a future superstar. His repertoire of pitches includes a low to mid 90s fastball, a curveball, a slurve, and a changeup.

Prior graduated from the 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.

Prior attended USC, where he won the Dick Howser Trophy (he attended his father's alma mater, Vanderbilt University for his freshman year), given annually to the national collegiate baseball player of the year. 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. He was part of a pitching rotation that also boasted current Cleveland Indians pitcher Anthony Reyes.

On June 30, 2010, Prior returned to USC to perform a workout for major league scouts, but the workout was judged as "just all right" by a veteran scout.

On August 3, 2010, Prior agreed to an independent league contract with the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League.

On September 3, 2010, he signed with the Texas Rangers on a minor league contract. Prior has stated his desire to return to the big leagues, 4 years since last being on a major league squad; he is hopeful he will be able to catch on with the Rangers as a long/middle relief pitcher.

Mark Prior's pitching mechanics have been the subject of much attention throughout his career. As a prospect, his symmetrical, seemingly effortless delivery was widely regarded as mechanically efficient and sound. Prior's former personal pitching coach Tom House labeled the right-hander a "can't-miss" prospect. However, after Prior suffered a series of debilitating arm injuries, many experts have re-examined Prior's delivery.

As easy and flowing as Prior's pitching mechanics seem to be, his arm action contains elements that some analysts believe to be hazardous. According to Chris O'Leary, a pitching mechanics analyst, Prior's injury problems are largely derived from his arm action. More specifically, they are due to Prior's Inverted W arm action, in which he lifts his elbows above and behind the level of his shoulders, with the forearm pointing down. According to O'Leary, this creates a timing problem that places an undue stress on the muscles and ligaments of the shoulder and elbow because the arm gets up to the "cocked position" too late.

Similarly, Dick Mills, a former major league pitcher and co-author of The Science and Art of Baseball Pitching and Pitching.com, has speculated that Prior's injuries were a result of a movement known as scapular loading. Scapular loading is a movement in which a pitcher's shoulder blades are pinched together and elbows are taken behind, and sometimes above, their shoulders. The idea that scapular loading is dangerous has been disputed by some in the field of athletic training.