FanHouse MarkPrior

Mark Prior has not pitched a game in the major leagues since 2006. Thanks to state-of-the-art age-progression software, here is an image of what he might look like today. If you see him, please contact your local police department. Also, please check the back of this website for valuable Little Caesar's coupons.

The Dugout has had a lot of fun making light of Prior's perennially injured status, largely because we sit in front of our computers all day and are free of the perils of playing sports or going outside. As Matt Snyder points out, though, he didn't ask for this. Despite the frustration and the jeers, he refuses to quit, and we're pulling for him.

This morning's Dugout is after the jump.

Mention the name Mark Prior to a baseball fan, and you're sure to bombarded with a wide range of strong opinions. Some think he's soft, some become angry, some remember just how good he was in 2003 and still others take the opportunity to mock him. As if this is the path he wanted.

Earlier this season, Prior was released by the Padres. He's still only 28 years old, but he hasn't thrown a pitch in the majors since 2006. He has never finished a whole season without visiting the disabled list. He just can't find a way to recover health in his once-mighty right arm. Regardless, Prior isn't planning on hanging it up anytime soon.

When it was announced Monday that Edinson Volquez had Tommy John surgery, my immediate gut reaction was: "Everyone will blame Dusty Baker for this." Of all of the managers in baseball, Baker is the most notorious destroyer of young arms after his stint in Chicago dramatically altered the careers of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.

With another promising young starter getting ligament replacement surgery under his watch, the easy assumption is that this is just another notch on Dusty's belt. The easy assumption isn't always the right one, though, and immediately blaming him didn't quite sit right with me.

I remember watching how he handled both Volquez and Johnny Cueto last August and September and nothing jumped out at me as out of the ordinary or abusive. So is it Dusty's fault that Volquez will miss the rest of 2009 and most of 2010?

In this photo, Mark Prior is covering the bottom half of his face with a glove because Padres Photo Day started with him wandering into a smelting factory and burning off the lower quadrant of his head with molten acids. In other news, Mark Prior is reporting soreness in his shoulder after a bullpen session on Tuesday at the Padres' Spring Training facility.

The Padres are saying that they will have to "take a step back" with Prior, which means that they will have to knock down a wall or something because this is as far back as you go. Prior cannot pitch to live hitters and has not appeared in the Major Leagues since 2006. He is making one MILLION dollars this year. Chevrolet goes bankrupt, but somebody has a million dollars to give to Mark F'ing Prior. In a related story, Indians reliever Kerry Wood appeared on "Rover's Morning Glory" and had his hands cut off by "The Shizzy."

I am jealous of these highly-paid athletes! The Dugout is after the jump.

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the ...
Worst team in baseball. Much like the 2008 incarnation, there are very few bright spots on the 2009 San Diego Padres. Jake Peavy is obviously awesome (although he does have a lot of mileage already), Adrian Gonzalez has been quite consistent the past few years, Chase Headley is dreamy if you're one of those folks that are obsessed with prospects (/raises hand), and Heath Bell might be able to save some games ... if the Pads can get him a lead.

The 2009 amateur draft is a long way off, but it's already likely to be the highlight of the year in Washington, where the lowly Nationals will get to make the No. 1 overall selection. That day in June will most definitely be the highlight of the year for Stephen Strasburg -- the pitching phenom from San Diego State, who even six months away from draft day, looks like a lock to go first.

There was some talk out of San Diego in the past week that Strasburg could slip to his hometown Padres at No. 3, but Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post douses that fire.

If I may, I'd like to designate January 13th, "The Ghost of Mark Prior Day." Every year at about this time, it seems like Prior signs some kind of deal with someone and we all sit around and reminisce about how once upon a time he was "the next Roger Clemens." Of course, the main reason that I bring this up is because Prior signed a minor league deal with the Padres today.

Prior was with the Padres last year but didn't pitch at all due to shoulder problems and he didn't pitch at all in 2007 for reasons that I don't really remember but am 100 percent certain pertained to arm problems. It's hard to believe, but he just turned 28 in October and I suppose that places him at the theoretical peak age for players. For Prior, though, I'm sure just throwing an inning or two in a minor league game would be a huge accomplishment.

Just five years ago, Prior was busy forming the most feared 1-2 rotation punch in the league with Kerry Wood. Now, Wood's a closer in Cleveland and Prior can only get a minor league deal with his hometown team. He hasn't even thrown 300 big league innings in the intervening five years and to be honest, I think his career is probably over. It's admirable that he hasn't given up yet, but with all the arm trouble and surgeries he's had, I can't believe he can he can brush his teeth, let alone throw a breaking pitch.

Hat-tip: MLB Trade Rumors

Remember Mark Prior? He has absolutely nothing to do with anything that happened in baseball recently. But it is always at least moderately interesting when Mark Prior news comes up. Some day, when Prior rehabs himself back into shape, you can say you never abandoned hope. You were there at the beginning. Right:

Mark Prior, who had a second, less-invasive surgery on his right shoulder earlier this year, is in the midst of a throwing program and should be ready for the start of the 2009 season, said his agent, John Boggs. Prior is expected to file for free agency. "He said he feels good, that his shoulder has never felt better," said Boggs.

Oh dear. I don't want to give the impression of rooting against Mark Prior, but man. How many times has he said that? How many times have people allowed themselves one iota of optimism about Prior's future, only to see it washed away? Well, I won't do it. Until Mark Prior pitches his tenth straight start, I refuse to believe his shoulder is actually attached to his arm socket. Easier this way, I think.

or, "On the Occasion of Jon Bois' Birthday." Happy birthday, friend, you're still way better at this than me.

Two bits of bad news for Wally Joyner. Firstly, he's been canned as the hitting coach for the San Diego Padres. Secondly, his original Dugout screen name of "WallyJoynerInHolyMatrimony" is slightly too long to be effective, so it's been retired. Thirdly, his good friend DJ A.M. was injured in a plane crash. Here's the footage!

(put YouTube link here)

Tonight's Dugout is for Jon, and features a bunch of things he likes. Try to find them all (Jon doesn't like Castlevania, that one was me)!

When Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed, Rocky had a chance to throw in the towel and save his friend's life. Concern about Creed's pride stopped him from doing it, though. That led to a great training sequence and stirring victory in front of cheering Soviets but it couldn't bring Apollo back to life. That's fictional but in real life, I hope Mark Prior's got a friend who is willing to throw that towel in for him.

Prior needs another surgery on his right shoulder, a torn anterior capsule this time, and won't be able to pitch at all this season. That makes it two years in a row without an appearance on a big league mound for Prior and just 43 and two-thirds innings in the last three.

"For Mark, I can't imagine how frustrated he is," Manager Bud Black said.

Ever read an issue of The Incredible Hulk? In my own imagination, Prior is quaking and fighting the urge to explode the same way Bruce Banner did every time he got angry and felt the transformation coming. That's what happens when you have the whole world in your hand at 22 and no baseball future at 28.

If he is Hulking out right now, I wouldn't want to be in Dusty Baker's shoes. In a perfect world, Prior would get to smash him to bits for destroying his right arm in Chicago. It's an imperfect world, though, which means he'd smash him 135 times and then need reconstructive surgery while Baker lived to continue his nefarious ways.