April 14, 2012 at 8:17 PM
Red Sox workout former Cub Mark Prior
| Mark Prior (Bill Parmeter) |
According to SoxProspects sources, right-hander Mark Prior was at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers this morning for a tryout with the Red Sox. Prior spent five major league seasons with the Chicago Cubs, last pitching there in 2006.
After reaching the major leagues at age 21 and being one of the most electric arms in the game, shoulder injuries derailed Prior's career in quick fashion. His best year came in 2003 when he pitched 211.1 innings to a 2.43 ERA with 245 strikeouts. He did not pitch at all during the 2007-2009 seasons.
Attempting a comeback, the now 31-year-old pitched exactly 12.0 minor league innings each of the last two years in the Rangers' and Yankees' systems, respectively. He worked exclusively as a reliever in those two seasons. While he gave up just 3 earned runs and struck out 39 batters total over those 24.0 innings, the injury history is still a major red flag.