Los Angeles Dodgers hire Mark Prior as bullpen coach

PEORIA, AZ - MARCH 5: Pitcher Mark Prior
PEORIA, AZ - MARCH 5: Pitcher Mark Prior

The Los Angeles Dodgers hire former MLB pitcher Mark Prior as their bullpen coach.

Former Chicago Cubs phenom, Mark Prior has found a new home, joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in sunny Southern California. Prior will step in has Dodgers’ bullpen coach — replacing Josh Bard — after working in the San Diego Padres front-office the past four seasons.

After a stellar career playing at USC, Prior was selected as the number two overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft. If the name sounds familiar, here’s why. Mark Prior took the baseball world by storm in 2003, with a rocket arm and becoming the “Robin” to Kerry Wood‘s “Batman” as maybe the best one-two punch in all of the National League.

During his second season as an MLB starter, Prior finished with an 18-6 record, 2.43 ERA/1.10 WHIP/ and a 245-50 Strikeout to walk ratio —  boasting a third-place finish in the 2003 National League Cy Young Award voting.

More from Call to the Pen

He was part of the 2003 Chicago Cubs dream season, which turned into a nightmare after the Cubbies blew a 3-2 series lead against the eventual World Series champion Miami Marlins. 2003 would be the pinnacle of Prior’s short MLB career, where a once-promising career was cut short due to nagging injuries.

Prior made several comeback attempts with a handful of MLB teams, but never returned to the Big Leagues as a starting pitcher after 2006. Now Prior has the honor and privilege of teaching a new generation of pitchers, where the bullpen coach serves as an Assistant Pitching Coach, of sorts.

He’ll have the chance to pass on what he has learned — success, adversity, failure, and perseverance.

Next: MLB Hall of Fame: Breaking down the ballot

The Los Angeles Dodgers made the right move bringing in Mark Prior, who will no doubt climb the ranks of the coaching staff in no time. Meanwhile, he will instruct a loaded Dodgers pitching staff, one with great promise in 2018 and beyond.