the ticking time bomb that is mark prior's right arm

[Guest]

Look at what Dusty gets out of his pitchers and since Shawn Estes left the Giants (thank you god) he's had no major injury problems in the starting rotation. He even nursed Ortiz through 2001 with a bum shoulder. And in a tight game tonight he only pitched Prior six innings. So what is your point?

[HOOTIE]

the level of obsession you guys have with mark prior is truly disturbing

Disturbing? Its a forum to discuss things. Wanting this generations Clemens to be handled with just a little care isnt asking for too much.

[Greenrider]

the level of obsession you guys have with mark prior is truly disturbing

Disturbing? Its a forum to discuss things. Wanting this generations Clemens to be handled with just a little care isnt asking for too much.

if we had anything to say about how much Prior gets used in games, then you would have a point. however, we don't.

if you labor under the delusion that you can somehow make Baker listen to you, you'd be much better off calling up talk radio shows than posting on this forum.

moreover, since it's a fantasy forum, we should focus on things that pertain to fantasy, i.e.
- how much does the team Prior plays on diminish his value
- how likely is he to suffer an injury from overuse, and how does that impact when/if you should try to deal him

in my opinion, the question of what Baker *should* do is mostly irrelevent to the more important question of what he *will* do.

[rjforlife]

sorry we seem so "obsessed" with him but i hope you have watched this kid he is so very very good. when hes on damian miller moves his glove from the spot about 2 times in 9 innings. and although this is a fantasy baseball forum its ok to just talk about players that we feel are going to really be something special because its once every 10 years a guy comes around that can be truly great as mark prior can be. so please just let us enjoy prior in all his greatness UNTIL something happens.

[Bliz34]

I've had Prior this entire year on my team and I have been pretty impressed with the way he pitches. I would have to say that in a baseball game there are any number of reasons that go into a decision to relieve a guy like Prior. If it were me however I'd say hey the kid pitches every 5 days... he's 22 or so years old living in Chicago making multi million dollars to do something he has done and dreamed of since he was a kid...Let him pitch if he's throwing strikes at mid nintey's after 6 of work. Guys back in the day used to throw double headers...That's 18 innings in 8 hours...He can handle it he's a tough kid..

[jnr98]

The pitch count watch can be overblown in some cases. There has to also be a review of the specific pitcher's mechanics in tandem with the raw pitch count.

Guys with herky-jerky motions, like Burnett, put greater stress on their arms. But if you look at Prior's motion, as described by the pros who really do this for a living, is absolutely effortless. That may be the most important thing in the "Prior is Burnett in Waiting" death watch.

Prior is silky smooth in his delivery. That alone can account for a greater stress level on his body (ie, higher pitch count). That being said, do I want to see my horse trotted out late in a meaningless game after he's hit the 110 pitch mark, no way. But if he's looking calm and at ease, I have no problem letting him build arm strength, especially if he's working a shutout!

[Gmogd]

The pitch rate will get to him, but not in any way that should concern people. As people have said, he's got the kind of mechanics that mean a few more pitches aren't going to result in a trip to the DL. There's little question at this point that he can handle game after game of high pitch counts at a major-league level. The only question is if he can keep it up for an entire season. My bet is yes, but you'll see a slight drop off near the end. You almost never see someone pitch that high a count through an entire season with no dropoff unless they've done it before, and Prior hasn't. But he'll be prepared for the future.