FrontRowSportsReport.com: Sports Blog

Former Chicago Cubs top prospect Mark Prior, who was released by the Cubs earlier this month, has signed a 1 year deal with the San Diego Padres. The contract has a $1 million base salary, no option and incentives that could bring the total value to about $3 million.

San Diego General Manager Kevin Towers has this to so about the deal…”Mark Prior is a competitor and is working hard to regain the form that made him one of the great young pitchers in the game. We are confident he is going to help us in our rotation this season. It’s exciting that Mark is coming home to San Diego to pitch for the Padres.”

Mark Prior, who is now 27 and last pitched in the Majors in 2006, was considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball a few years back - he was the 2nd overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft. However, due to surgery, being over-pitched and just bad luck Prior was never able to keep up to the hype. That is not to say Prior wasn’t a good big league pitcher, in 2003 he went 18-6, had a 2.43 ERA, was selected to the All-Star game and finished 3rd in the CY Young voting. However, after the 2003 season Prior went 18-17 and had a 4.27 ERA.

If Prior can remain healthy he has the ability to be a decent 3rd or 4th starter - but the Padres pitching staff will have to watch his pitch count. I will be rooting for the guy but he just doesn’t have what he used to have when he was younger and healthier.