Bench Prior against Sandbox legend DOUG DAVIS???

[bleach168]

I remember that BS Houston game! That pissed me off so bad! I HATE YOU MARK BELLHORN!

[jdh]

The problem that I have with Prior (and Wood for that matter) is that he still has not learned to pitch in an economical manner. Taking today's game for an example, 120 pitches and he couldn't finish 6 innings. That's over 20 pitches per inning which is just terrible. He was nibbling at the corners all day, trying to make the perfect pitch to get pretty and get strikeouts rather than just trying to get the batters out.

That's why I think the Oakland trio is head and shoulders above Prior and Wood in value and pitching ability. They have been taught to go right after hitters, get the K's when appropriate but don't shy away from putting the ball in play and letting the defense handle it. This results in them working much deeper into games, gives them a better chance at getting the wins and a better chance at keeping the WHIP low because working deep into counts increases the risk of walks. Look at Mulder, 5 complete games this year with pitch counts of 105 or lower. Compare that to Prior, no complete games and he has been averaging 113 pitches a game.

I won't deny that Prior has excellent stuff and great potential. But at this point, he's a great thrower but not a great pitcher.

[tjhksig]

Very astute reply, JDH.

But, given it's Prior's first FULL year, I can't remember the last time a rookie starter was this good....can you?

[wrveres]

The problem that I have with Prior (and Wood for that matter) ... ... ... OK, I agree that Prior has proven himself to be a top tier starter, but "one of the most dominant seasons of the modern era", please. There are at least five starters this year who have had better seasons than Prior so far. HE is good but not the second coming of Bob Gibson.

I'd like to believe that with that STL logo on the left ... You will always have a problem with Wolf and Prior. and Zambrano, Wellemeyer too .. Just a guess.

And yes, this is his second season.

He gets all that power from his legs. Those big fat calves. They look kinda like Popeyes forearms. It will be a couple of years before he gets the hardware though. He will need to undergo Tommy John first, sometime soon I imagine.

Until then we only get to enjoy.
We will all be talking about Prior and Pujols ten years from now. They are the stars of the next decade. Out with the old. In with the new. What kinda shoes does Mark wear anyway??

[Guest]

The problem that I have with Prior (and Wood for that matter) is that he still has not learned to pitch in an economical manner. Taking today's game for an example, 120 pitches and he couldn't finish 6 innings. That's over 20 pitches per inning which is just terrible. He was nibbling at the corners all day, trying to make the perfect pitch to get pretty and get strikeouts rather than just trying to get the batters out.

You have to take into account that Prior was facing one of the hottest and deadliest offenses on the road today. Even Prior admitted after the game that he was painting the corners, but can you blame him...he's facing Carlos "Freakin-HR" Delgado. You don't throw the ball right down the middle to the Jays...just ask Jays Cliff Politte what happens when you do that to any team.

Here's what Delgado and Cat had to say about Prior today.

"A few of Toronto's hitters were impressed with his work, including Carlos Delgado and Frank Catalanotto. The pair said that he compared favorably to Kerry Wood, who pitched against Toronto on Friday.

"He's one of the best. He's got a great slider, one of the best I've seen this year," Catalanotto said. "He's got very good control too. He puts his fastball in spots where you can't hit it. That slider looks like a fastball coming in. It's got good tight spin, and at the last second it drops off the table. He's one of the best young pitchers around."

"The guy yesterday is like a power-pitcher. His stuff is a little bit more overpowering, probably not as much control as Prior," Delgado said about Wood. "They're both pretty good. Those guys that they run out there are probably the best pitching staff in the game. They're definitely the best pitching staff I've seen all year, including the Yankees."

Prior is better and has more command than Wood now. Don't know if you guys knew this, but the Yankees actually drafted Prior out of high school. I have a ton of respect for Prior, he chose college and left 1.4 million dollars on the table with the Yankees. That's pretty hard to do for any high school student in any sport.

Imagine if Prior was the latest Yankee phenom... sickening thought...Steinbrenner is still whining and having nightmares about letting Prior get away.

-Jack

[wrveres]

I won't deny that Prior has excellent stuff and great potential. But at this point, he's a great thrower but not a great pitcher.

Agreed