Leaving USC as one of the greatest collegiate pitchers of all-time, Mark Prior seemed like a sure thing, but the road that was supposed to lead to Cooperstown instead dropped him off in various minor leagues and medical centers around the country.
The phenom is now a 31-year-old veteran scratching his way up the Red Sox system buoyed by renewed health after an exhausting six-year stretch during which Prior threw just 24 professional innings. At AAA Pawtucket, the starter-turned-reliever has used more guile than game to compile a 4.05 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.
As this ESPN story on the Trojan great explains, Prior has found perspective amidst the pain of a promising career derailed by injuries.
"The older I've gotten, my perspective of success and failure has changed," Prior told Teddy Mitrosilis. "People want to make it a black-and-white thing, but you can't always do that. Now, it's about getting a hitter out, getting out of a [jam], those little victories. Keep lining up those little victories."
(Photo by Mike Janes/AP)
The phenom is now a 31-year-old veteran scratching his way up the Red Sox system buoyed by renewed health after an exhausting six-year stretch during which Prior threw just 24 professional innings. At AAA Pawtucket, the starter-turned-reliever has used more guile than game to compile a 4.05 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.
As this ESPN story on the Trojan great explains, Prior has found perspective amidst the pain of a promising career derailed by injuries.
"The older I've gotten, my perspective of success and failure has changed," Prior told Teddy Mitrosilis. "People want to make it a black-and-white thing, but you can't always do that. Now, it's about getting a hitter out, getting out of a [jam], those little victories. Keep lining up those little victories."
(Photo by Mike Janes/AP)
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