Healthy Prior ready to earn his keep
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jan 05, 2011 
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Coming into spring training on a minor league deal, Mark Prior says he doesn’t expect a big league job to be handed to him. But if he’s healthy, Prior believes he can earn a spot in the Yankees bullpen.
“I still have late life (on the fastball),” Prior told MLB.com. “I still have a good breaking ball — when it’s sharp, it’s got good tilt.”
Prior hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2006, but he said a stint in independent ball let him know he still wanted to play.
“One of the things that happened a long time ago is I stopped asking the question, ‘Why?’” Prior said. “The answer doesn’t really matter. I don’t need to know why I’m getting hurt; I just need to know how to get healthy, and that was the answer I was searching for.”
Some other links and notes from the day.
• Jon Heyman adds Kevin Millwood to the list of pitchers the Yankees might consider for the rotation. He goes on a list with Jeremy Bonderman, Jeff Francis and Freddy Garcia, who we’ve previously heard connected to the Yankees to some extent.
• Does this sound familiar? The Reds are going to keep Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen for now, but they still see him as a starter long term. And so it begins.
• Rebecca Glass makes the case that Bernie Williams’ first year on the Hall of Fame ballot might actually be his best chance for induction.
• Nice story from Tyler Kepner, who asks Hall of Fame voters not to speculate about steroid use, especially in the case of Jeff Bagwell.
I would not be surprised if Bonds is never elected into the HOF, even though he clearly would have been a HOF’er without PEDs. A lot of the writers just hate the guy.
Not putting Bonds in the HoF would shame MLB (and the writers who vote) more than Bonds.
I think Bonds will get in at some point. I believe the stance will soften on this stuff with time. There are a ton of players currently in the HOF that used a substance (amphetamines) that is now banned by MLB….did those players cheat? Its just a slippery slope to hold this line for too long.
Kevin Brown didn’t get the 5% needed to stay on the ballot….thoughts anyone? He was pretty darn good there for awhile.
Kevin Brown didn’t get the 5% needed to stay on the ballot….thoughts anyone? He was pretty darn good there for awhile.
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He is officially the best pitcher not currently in the hall of fame who is eligible
My guess is that Brown received less than 5% primarily because he was “named in the Mitchell report”. However, all that it said was that some doctors felt his injuries were consistent with drug users…..baseless speculation more or less with no evidence…..same as with Bagwell.
“Kevin Brown didn’t get the 5% needed to stay on the ballot….thoughts anyone? He was pretty darn good there for awhile.”
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I can’t believe that in the same group of people 53.5% chose Morris, but only 2.1% chose Brown.
There are some writers that are going to back themselves into a corner.
Can you imagine a year where NO ONE gets voted in based on rumors of PED use?
Or will they allow more borderline guys in because with borderline numbers (and a more “traditional” build) they couldn’t possibly have used PEDs?
It needs to be addressed in an intelligent and thoughtful way.
Career ERA+
Kevin Brown: 127
Bob Gibson : 128
Not saying that Brown was as good as Gibson but for him to not even get enough votes to stay on the ballot……I don’t know.
Player — ERA+ – WHIP – Ks
JMorris — 105 – 1.296 – 2478
Blyleven – 117 – 1.198 – 3701
KBrown — 127 – 1.222 – 2397
Wood was a great pitcher, maybe in a limited role he can stay healthy.
“Can you imagine a year where NO ONE gets voted in based on rumors of PED use? ”
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The real issue is not whether you DID steroids, but whether it was proven or strongly suspected.
Maybe in the future we will know the numbers, but I will guess, based on all I have read (including player quotes) is that at least 1/3 of all players did PEDs or HGH, and maybe as many as half.
Of course, in the previous era, 90%+ did speed/greenies.
If someone was absolute borderline HOF, and did PEDs, well…. maybe they miss out.
But BONDS??? Roger? McGuire? Raffy?
These guys are absolute HOFers.
Can’t tell from that pic if Prior is ready to pitch the 8th inning or sell someone a whole life policy.
Full circle for Prior, who was originally drafted by the Yankees in 1998, but elected to go to USC instead
I find it hard to take writers seriously who stuck their head in the sand while they were working among guys who got bigger before their eyes without saying anything about it at the time but are now keeping guys out of the HOF because they now think they MIGHT have used PEDs.
If it wasn’t important enough to look into in real time, speculating after the fact seems lazy and punitive for their own foibles.
Hardwired,
He’s selling health insurance.
The real question isn’t how many did steroids, but, how much they actua;;y helped. The other part of this equation is that it fell in between to expansion periods, adding another 45-50 pitching slots that most likely would never would have been opened.
***actually***
pat,
absolutely. They looked the other way and cheered like crazy in 98 for Mac and Sosa and now have decided to hold some moral high ground. Lupica wrote a book about the HR chase that summer and how great it was…..
I think steroids could have helped different players in different ways. There’s no way to quantify it and theres no way to know how level the playing field actually was. I think you have to take it case by case and try to determine whether the player would have been a HOFer anyway.
“The real issue is not whether you DID steroids, but whether it was proven or strongly suspected.”
If you exclude a player merely because he was the victim of a selective leak, you are rewarding the leaker, who may have a nefarious motive. That doesn’t seem fair or just.
I”m pulling for Prior not only because he’s a Yankee but because he deserves at least somewhat of a comeback…..it would be a nice story if he could make it back and help them out.
Burt Blyleven:
Win–Loss record 287–250
Earned run average 3.31
Strikeouts 3,701
2x All-Star
2× World Series champion
1x No-hitter
Mike Mussina:
Win–Loss record 270–153
Earned run average 3.68
Strikeouts 2,813
5x All-Star
7x Gold Glove Winner
17x years in the steroids-era AL East
I didn’t feel like I was watching a HOFer when watching Mussina pitch but his numbers are tough to ignore. They are very worthy of consideration and he very well could get in….finishing on that strong note in 2008 certainly won’t hurt. Too bad he didn’t pitch one more year because he could have gotten up to 285 or so wins and won a WS in 2009 as well.
Bernie goes on the ballot next year for the first time. I’m really not expecting a great percentage of votes for him though. Larkin may be the only guy elected next year unless someone like Morris or Raines makes a big jump forward.
I generally agree with you blake, but I was struck by BB’s win total and decided to do a comparison. I think in all honesty the fact that Moose succeeded, if not dominated, for the better part of two decades in the AL East of the 1990s and 2000s simply cannot be ignored.
Mike,
Yes, pitching all those years during the steroid era in the AL east certainly should be considered…..the more I think about it the more he seems like he should be there.
# pat January 5th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
I find it hard to take writers seriously who stuck their head in the sand while they were working among guys who got bigger before their eyes without saying anything about it at the time but are now keeping guys out of the HOF because they now think they MIGHT have used PEDs.
If it wasn’t important enough to look into in real time, speculating after the fact seems lazy and punitive for their own foibles.
———————————————-
That’s the thing they stood on the sidelines and didn’t say a word. No one is saying they should have called out names with information but they take some much pride being journalists right. They take so much pride being the first to break a story but yet when hitters were doing things the greatest of all time have never done the writers turned a blind eye. I know Costas is one of the biggest voices when it comes to keeping PED users out of the Hall. I’m trying to remember if he was on the front line when this was going on?
One writer has said he will no longer publicize his HOF vote because he will not vote for players he suspects of PEDs use but he doesn’t have the proof to actually accuse them.
Another writer has said he spoke to a teammate of someone on the ballot and the writer left that player off the ballot. The writer said he would not repeat what was said in that conversation because he told the teammate he wouldn’t.
Both of these writers are people who others count on to provide them information and both are choosing to withhold information. Seems unaccountable and unprofessional to me.
Nobody in the media said anything about steroids at any time until about 2003. That’s when writers did what they do now…became very particular about who they outted and who they suspected. It depends on which name makes the biggest splash and who they didn’t like.
# pat January 5th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
One writer has said he will no longer publicize his HOF vote because he will not vote for players he suspects of PEDs use but he doesn’t have the proof to actually accuse them.
Another writer has said he spoke to a teammate of someone on the ballot and the writer left that player off the ballot. The writer said he would not repeat what was said in that conversation because he told the teammate he wouldn’t.
Both of these writers are people who others count on to provide them information and both are choosing to withhold information. Seems unaccountable and unprofessional to me.
—————————————-
Gotta love the high horse they are on right now. It’s to be expected though. Some writers don’t vote for players on the 1st ballot because writers in the past didn’t vote for Joe D the first time. SMH.
Personally, I’d like to see an athlete write a tell all book or series of articles about writers that cheat on their wives while on the road, drink to excess and drink and drive, snoop around and find out how many beat their wives and those that have drug issues.
16, 15, 15, 13, 54
Anyone who follows the game knows whose homer totals those are, the 54 being for 2010. The tests aren’t that hard to beat. HGH is, for practical purposes, still undetectable. I’m not saying the guy’s name because he’s just an indicator. We are still in the era of pretense. The pretense now is that the “steriod era” is a thing of the past.
GB
Human nature tells me that someday someone denied HOF honors will write a book about all the guys who got in and what they did that no one knew about.
Bigger advance for that than spilling the beans on scribes.
“Human nature tells me that someday someone denied HOF honors will write a book about all the guys who got in and what they did that no one knew about.”
Canseco sort of wrote a few chapters.
Prior kinda looks like the guy who played Kurt on Gilmore Girls. I really hope he does well in ST and this coming season wherever he ends up playing, I’m sure he has really missed playing professionally especially since he didn’t really get a good chance once he got hurt.
pat, they’d make enough from athletes and sports fans who are fed up with the BS writing abilities and boarderline yellow journalism…not to mention the hypocracy of the same writers and those like Heyman that spread planted stories from agents that keep them on the payrolls to do their dirty work. I’m sure there are still athletes that are alive that would love to see the likes of Jimmy Cannon, Di ck Young, Dave Egan and Henry Hecht drug through the mud. Sadly it’s about 25 years too late from some of them to get what’s coming to them. They did their best to try ruining a lot of people. Ted Williams had the perfect name for the…among others was “The Knights Of The Keyboards”. The Keepers Of The Game”, my ass.
I used to know some people that partied with Di ck Young’s kids.
If Prior can make a comeback, all the more power to him. I, for one, wish him all the best and may he help the Yankees big time.
SAS…..Many evaluators who watched Mark throw late last season were impressed….Control as still a work in progress……He’s certainly worth the gamble……Could pop on the Bronx scene sometime in May – June…..
Pat M.
Have a good night.
Just looking at what Wood did I am sure Prior is motivated, I hope he stays healthy.
Continually grasping at straws, hoping for miracles. How very sad.
Anybody read the link to Rebecca’s article? I enjoyed it – examining Bernie Williams’ chances at the Hall of Fame. Good stuff. Take that, haters!
Chuck58 -
We can always say, “we knew her when.”
That’s right, Doreen
Good luck today on the auto buying front. Do ya think today’s the day?
Chuck 58 -
I think today’s the day we make a decision, at least!
Ah, excellent! May the choice be a wise one
I read this morning on the ESPN site, not much I would argue with
To: Brian Cashman
From: Andrew Marchand
Re: Rafael Soriano
CC: Scott Boras
Dear Brian:
The move now is to go get Rafael Soriano. That is what you should do even if Andy Pettitte decides to come back.
The misnomer on Pettitte is that he is some sort of sure thing. If Pettitte were to come back, he will turn 39 before the All-Star break. Last year, the break was basically midnight on his season. He had the groin and the back injuries that made him a half-season pitcher. It was one heckuva half season, but a half season nonetheless.
So even if Pettitte decides to return, what can you count on from a year older Andy?
Soriano is the last impact player on the free-agent market for the Yankees. If he locked down the eighth inning and you have Mariano Rivera in the ninth, then suddenly the suspect starting rotation gets a lot better. CC Sabathia, if his knee is fine, should be his usual self, going deep into games and resting the pen. Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett, Pettitte, Ivan Nova, etc.. would know they’d only need to pitch six strong innings and then hand it to David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, Pedro Feliciano, Soriano and Rivera.
The Yankees could then be dominant at the end of games. The strategy makes perfect sense and after banking the nearly $150 million you were going to give to Cliff Lee, it should fit into the budget.
Now, Soriano’s agent is Scott Boras. Boras doesn’t do discounts, we all know that. Soriano deserves a nice raise from the $7.5 million he received from Tampa for his 45 saves last year. He was the difference maker in the division (along with the fact the Yanks didn’t try too hard in September to win the East).
Brian, if you pay Soriano elite closer money, then he likely would be willing to be a setup man.
If you put Soriano on this Yankees team, then the talk going into spring training is not all about the blowtorch put to Derek Jeter’s image and the loss of Lee.
It is about how the Yankees can finish games like no other team in baseball.
Gary,
I also think that the way they’ve been using Mariano the last couple of years, Soriano would/could get more save opportunities than one might assume. The Yankees have been lucky, in a way, that with their offense there are a lot of times when there are days without save opportunities, or at least, consecutive save opportunities. Soriano might look at that and say, no, I want the save numbers.
I think the real wild card here is whether Soriano will be content setting up Mo. If he is, then I think it’s a signing that could get done; if he’s hesitant, then you have to think about what the mindset could do to his effectiveness.
If they sign him, then I’d make the assumption that Soriano dug deep and would be satisfied with the situation, and not just the money.
I think assuming the Mo is going to be the same “Mo” he’s been over the next two years of his contract, as dependable as he’s been, could be a mistake.
good morning early birds
Gary
I agree w/ that article, but I am sure that Cashman doesn’t need advice from Marchand!
Good morning.Getting ready to board a flight to Florida to spend the weekend with my mom. And I get to miss the snow!
Doreen, good luck with the car.
have a great trip Fran !!!
Thanks Kate.
Fran the Original -
Thanks, and have a great trip. It’ll be nice to be away from the cold, snowy north for a few days!!!
Kate
I was going to leave out the Marchand part.
I think the part about Andy if he comes back was especially true, the Yanks don’t have enough SP as it is and no latitude for injuries like Andy had last year. Even with the Soriano deal should it happen we still need 1-2 SP’s.
Sorry I meant I pretty much agree with what he said in his letter.
Fran, it’s been nice here for the past few days, mid 70′s here in SW Florida. Small cold front coming through so it may cool in the upper 60′s Thursday and Friday.
With Soriano it would be easier to give some of the young pitchers a chance. They wouldn’t need to go so deep into games.
Kate, I wonder if Soriano needs a guarantee that he will be the closer in 2 years and if Mo really will hang it up after 2012?
Gary
I agree w/ what Doreen says. There may be more opportunities for him to close than if he was a set up guy on another team. It is hard to think of Mo ever retiring! But maybe he pitches less, he could pitch longer.
hmmm…silly me…of course Soriano would be a closer not a set up guy on another team! What a really meant was he would probably get save as well as stopper opportunities on the Yankees.
Totally agree with that article on Soriano. He helps in a lot of different ways including keeping Rivera healthy and not overused. Shouldn’t matter what Pettite does because Pettite will only be for one year and they have more money coming off.next year anyway. Soriano doesn’t help the rotation directly but he does indirectly by giving the Yankees maybe the best bullpen in baseball.
Good morning, everyone, btw.
It really is difficult to think of life after Mariano, but I think getting Soriano allows a better transition. Let’s face it, there’s no obvious “heir apparent” right now.
And no one is ever going to be Mariano.
So even if one of the young guys (Brackman?) shows he can close effectively, it might still be better to have a Mo/Soriano, Soriano/Whoever transition than to proceed ahead as if Mariano is going to pitch like a 30 year old forever. He has been treated carefully the last 2 seasons. I can see that not only continuing, but becoming more “set in stone” rather than a guideline thing. “Mo Rules?”
Besides, it’s a natural – MaRIANO and SoRIANO.
Doreen,
Agreed. Its perhaps the best remaining way to significantly improve the team. The drawbacks are giving big money to a reliever and giving Tampa another draft pick…..
Mo and So?
Perhaps someone with more inside knowledge can assist with my theory but I think that Cashman is waiting on a firm offer from another team to know what he’s dealing with RE: Boras and Soriano. I don’t think he wants to be only offer. Boras knows his leverage is reduced because most of the top teams have their closer situation taken care of, including the Yankees.
Boras is planting ideas with reporters, like Heyman, saying the Yankees could be interested to drum up pursuit of his client.
Unless some non-contender ponies up some serious cash for Soriano, I see this dragging out longer and then the Yankees potential strike when the price has been set by another organization.
Doreen-
Good morning.
Like the word play.
Best of luck on your upcoming vehicle purchase.
Mconti,
No inside info here but Id say theres a good chance that’s what’s going on.
just throwing this out there…I realize that closer is the glamour position, but given comparable pay, would you rather set up for a perennial play off contender or close for a team that has little chance?
Conti-
I have no inside knowledge but I am of the same opinion that Cashman may be waiting for Soriano’s market to form.
I also think he is hoping the price comes down.
Lot’s of times in the past Cashman has had the right of last refusal from a Boras client.
Why not now ?
Boras and Cashman have engaged in many games of “chicken”.
It might be just another one of those “who blinks first” situations.
Then again, Does Soriano want to SU rather than close ?
Kate,
At Soriano’s age Id rather play for whoever paid me the most money
Unless some non-contender ponies up some serious cash for Soriano, I see this dragging out longer and then the Yankees potential strike when the price has been set by another organization
_______________________________________________________________________
I think he has no desire to go to a non contender, they like that post season money too much. Having said that though Boros would not hesititate or any other agent for that matter to play the one against the other game to get the highest price. If the Yanks make an offer I’m sure even then it’s not the final offer and gets shopped around to see if they can get higher.
After the Lee deal in the back of mind I wonder does he want to even come here in this situation in the first place?
or, given that he has been injured in the past, perhaps who will give the most years
Blake-
Boras is probably still looking for that “one dumb owner”.
Soriano is a very expensive toy with a very checkered health history.
He has been healthy lately but would he stay that way over the life of a three or four year contract ?
Look at what happened to Marte ?
I still think its possible that Texas could jump in on Soriano…..
MTU,
it would be a risk….no question but just as with Marte, the Yanks could absorb it and move on if it didn’t work out. That’s part of their.financial advantage.
Blake-
That’s true but he will be twice as costly.
Rauch might be a better investment.
MTU,
Yea but Soriano is better han Raunch….either guy would be nice, but Soriano takes the pen to another level IMO. He pushes everyone up an inning, and allows you not to worry about situational decisions for the 8th and 9th…..therefore using you’re lefties and other short relievers earlier if needed.
Blake-
One thing is for certain.
If AP calls it quits, and Cashman can’t find an experienced starter then the BP is going to have to be very strong.
Stronger than it is right now.
AJ, Nova, and another youngster is going to tax the pen. Bigtime.
Maybe AA is healthy ? He would be a welcome addition if he could return to form.
Eric Chavez scheduled to workout for two AL teams… Well, let’s see…
Chavez has had two back surgeries, three shoulder surgeries, and he’s hardly played the last three years.
He’s got Brian Cashman written all over him!
yeah thats right, b/c Cashman tries to put the worst team out there he possibly can
The Angels seen to be in a stupor. Texas would sign Soriano only if they intended to move Neftali Feliz into the starting rotation but they signed Brandon Webb to help replace Lee.
In the AL, this leaves the Yankees as the right team for Soriano provided they can work a reasonable deal with Boras and with the understanding that Soriano will be the co-closer / EIG for 2011-2012.
A strong bullpen is an absolute until the best of young arms are ready.
“yeah thats right, b/c Cashman tries to put the worst team out there he possibly can”
He gets no credit for what goes right, and all the blame for what goes wrong.
Is he a great GM? No, but he’s a waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than his critics think.
while I think 6 years is way too long for Beltre, I can’t believe the Angels let both him and Crawford get away, especially w/ Beltre going to the team that won their division last year.
Boras is amazing. Getting that contract for a guy whose two best seasons BOTH came in his impending FA year is remarkable. And Texas didn’t even notice that Beltre probably has his WORST defensive season ever in 2009.
I’m now all in on Soriano. I think you do three years at $ 10 M with bonuses for finishing games and a 4th year vesting option at $ 12.5 based on the same category. Not only does he give you the best back end in the game, he also frees up Robertson or Chamberlain in a possible package for a starter. Does Robertson/Chamberlain, Nova/Noesi and Romine get you Carmona? Let’s find out.
I’m amazed that ALL Hall of Fame ballots are not made public. That’s absurd.
Good morning folks.
Doreen, good luck in getting the new car of your dreams.
I agree we need to sign Soriano, 3 @ $10M, no longer.
I too would like to see all HOF votes made public, why the need of secrecy.
Carmona would be an OK addition, but should not cost that much, rather have Zambrano.
QUOTE: “He (Cashman) gets no credit for what goes right, and all the blame for what goes wrong.
Is he a great GM? No, …
—————————————————–
Shouldn’t the New York Yankees have a great GM?
Is that the same Rebecca Glass who had a pinch-hit article on this blog a year or two ago that just basically plagiarized Joe Posnanski?
If so, it might be time for me to re-word a couple of good baseball articles, call them my own work and then wait for ESPN to call.
Why does there need to be an heir-apparent for Rivera? He’s signed for two more years and has shown no signs that he’ll be ineffective over the duration of that deal. Paying Soriano $20 million to set up for two years seems like a misappropriation of funds. The bullpen’s been pretty solid the past few years, and when there’s a need, Cashman has shown himself willing and able to make a move to shore it up at a fairly low price.
If Soriano takes a one year deal, I think the Yankees should explore that. You’ll at worst recoup the draft pick because he’s likely to retain Type-A status through next year. Maybe he accepts arbitration (he did in Atlanta, but didn’t in Tampa Bay) and you’ve got him for two years. Anything more than one guaranteed year seems too much for such an expensive set-up man.