Mark Prior Biography

Mark Prior has returned to the Chicago Cubs pitching rotation and is trying to get the Cubbies back in the National League playoff picture. Could he be the guy to lead the Cubs to their first World Series title in nearly 100 years? Kidzworld looks at one of the finest young hurlers in major league baseball.

Mark Prior Makes a Mark

Mark Prior was born September 7, 1980 in Bonita, California, just outside of San Diego. He got his first baseball glove at the age of five when he started playing T-ball. When he was 11, Mark Prior decided he wanted to be a baseball player. Prior convinced his dad to buy him a soft-toss net for the backyard so he could work on his hitting. Eventually the net wore out and Mark ended up hitting several balls through the net and and marking up the side of his dad's garage. Those marks from Mark Prior are still there.

Mark Prior Turns Pro

Mark Prior graduated from high school in 1998 and was named the San Diego County Player of the Year after going 10-5 with a microscopic 0.93 ERA. Prior spent his first year of college at Vanderbilt before transferring to USC where he led the Trojans to the College World Series in 2001. Mark Prior was also awarded the Golden Spikes Award for being the best player in college baseball. The same year Prior was drafted by the Chicago Cubs who believed he could be the guy who could finally lead the team to another World Series. Mark Prior played just nine games in the minors before being called up to the big leagues.

Mark Prior - The Next Great Pitcher?

Since becoming a full-time starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Mark Prior has been one of the National League's best hurlers. In 2003, Prior was among the league's leaders in strikeouts, wins and ERA and finished third in voting for the NL Cy Young Award as the league's top pitcher. Mark Prior can blow hitters away with a 98 mile-per-hour fast ball or catch them looking with his vicious curve ball. In 2003, Mark Prior came agonizingly close to leading the Chicago Cubs' to their first World Series appearance in nearly 100 years. Cubs' fans are hoping Prior and the Cubs can finally break the infamous curse in 2004.

Mark Prior - Did U Know?

Mark Prior comes from a very athletic family. His father played football at Vanderbilt, his sister, Millie, played tennis at the University of San Diego and his brother, Jerry, played tennis at Villanova.

Mark Prior majored in Business while studying at the University of Southern California.

Mark Prior told ESPN that the two celebrities he finds most annoying are Carrot Top and Marilyn Manson.

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