In the last 15 years, I do not think I have heard as much buzz about a pitching prospect as I did about Mark Prior. The only person who was even closer was perhaps Paul Wilson.
If you have not been paying strict attention, Prior is no longer anyoneâs idea of a canât-miss guy. He is trying to make the Cub rotation as the No. 5 starter and if he were not Mark Prior and not making some significant dollars, he would have lost that competition long ago. At one point this spring, Prior was sent to pitch in a minor league game and Cubs manager Lou Piniella all but begged the media not to go to the game and put extra scrutiny and pressure on Prior. It is hard to see now that he will ever approach the greatness once promised for him.
As for Wilson, he was released recently by the Reds and after a long battle with shoulder problems, his career might just be over. There is just not much life left on the ball for a pitcher who was taken with the first pick in the 1994 draft by the Mets. There was a time where the Mets saw an heir to Seaver and Gooden. But Wilson stands now with a career record of 40-58 with a 4.86 ERA.
Why do we offer this now, because it is always good to remember that most of even the best prospects fail to make much of a career in the majors, especially pitchers. It is extremely demanding not just talent wise, but physically and mentally. This should give us appreciation for pitchers such as Tom Glavine and Mariano Rivera who have constructed such long-standing excellence. And it should give us a moment to pause and keep within reason the expectations for such pitching prospects as Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber.
The Yankees and Mets have done a much better job in the past 24 months of stocking pitching prospects. That is good news. Because if you think you have 10 really good ones, you ultimately are fortunate if two emerge.
