Justin Sablich/NY Times:
Another year, another season-ending injury for Mark Prior.
Prior’s attempted comeback for his hometown San Diego Padres ended with the news that he will need surgery to repair a tear in the anterior capsule of his right shoulder.
“I can’t imagine how frustrated he is,” Padres Manager Bud Black said. “It looked like everything was on course. Then to have this happen I’m sure is extremely frustrating. I’m upset for him just because there was such confidence from him about how he felt.”
Prior seemed destined to become baseball’s next elite starting pitcher after going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA in 2003 for the Chicago Cubs. Now 27, he has not pitched a major league game since Aug. 10, 2006.
“How good was Prior? The best thing you can say about him was that he never showed promise as a Cub. He skipped promise and proceeded directly to great,” writes Morrissey. “He seemed to go from rookie to staff ace in a blink of an eye. There was no time for promise. He was too good for potential.”
