Mark Prior

Born: 9/7/1980 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 2002-05-22 | Final Game: 2006-08-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 230 lbs

Full name: Mark William Prior

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Biography

Mark Prior was a talented right-handed pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during the early 2000s. Born in 1980, he played from 2002 until 2006, showcasing his skills primarily with the Chicago Cubs. Known for his impressive fastball and sharp breaking pitches, Prior quickly became a pivotal figure in the Cubs' rotation. He finished his career with a record of 42-29 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.51, highlighting his effectiveness on the mound over his relatively brief career. Prior was recognized for his outstanding performance by being selected as an All-Star during his career. He accumulated a total of 757 strikeouts, demonstrating his ability to overpower hitters and command the game. Despite his promising start and flashes of brilliance, injuries ultimately plagued his career, limiting his appearances and preventing him from achieving the sustained success many had anticipated. Prior's legacy remains one of both potential and the challenges faced by pitchers in the modern era of baseball, as he navigated the pressures and expectations of being a top prospect in a highly competitive environment.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
42	29	106	106	5	1	0	657.0	582	256	77	223	757	3.51	0

Career ERA 3.51 vs. league average 4.39 across their career seasons — 20.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2002	CHC	NL	6	6	19	19	1	0	116.7	98	43	38	147	3.32	4.28 (+22%)	-
2003	CHC	NL	18	6	30	30	3	1	211.3	183	57	50	245	2.43	4.40 (+45%)	-
2004	CHC	NL	6	4	21	21	0	0	118.7	112	53	48	139	4.02	4.46 (+10%)	-
2005	CHC	NL	11	7	27	27	1	0	166.7	143	68	59	188	3.67	4.29 (+14%)	-
2006	CHC	NL	1	6	9	9	0	0	43.7	46	35	28	38	7.21	4.53 (-59%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
108	204	19	41	10	0	1	13	0	8	81	0.201	0.231	0.265	0.496	-476.4

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 24.2% below league average.

Career OBP .231 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 30.6% below league average.

Career SLG .265 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — 37.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.496 vs. league average 0.757 across their career seasons — 34.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
2002	CHC	NL	19	35	3	6	4	0	4	2	15	0.171	—	—	—	—	0.0
2003	CHC	NL	32	72	6	18	4	1	6	2	27	0.250	.264 (-5%)	.332 (-19%)	.422 (-18%)	.754 (-18%)	-237.5
2004	CHC	NL	21	36	5	5	0	0	0	2	20	0.139	—	—	—	—	0.0
2005	CHC	NL	27	48	5	11	2	0	3	2	14	0.229	—	—	—	—	-239.0
2006	CHC	NL	9	13	0	1	0	0	0	0	5	0.077	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2003	NLCS	CHN	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.000
2003	NLDS2	CHN	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	1	3	3	0	23.3	16	6	9	18	2.31

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2003	NLCS	CHN	1	1	2	2	0	14.3	14	5	5	11	3.14
2003	NLDS2	CHN	1	0	1	1	0	9.0	2	1	4	7	1.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	106	106	25	52	6	4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2002	CHN	P	19	19	1	8	0	0
2003	CHN	P	30	30	8	12	3	0
2004	CHN	P	21	21	4	18	0	3
2005	CHN	P	27	27	9	9	1	0
2006	CHN	P	9	9	3	5	2	1

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	106

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
2003	Pitcher of the Month	August
2003	Pitcher of the Month	September
2003	Player of the Week	Week of 2003-09-20
2003	This Year in Baseball Starter of the Year	MLB.com GIBBY