• Mark says the maturity he exhibits is a reflection of the way he was raised. In his house, academics were as important as athletics. Both his brother and his sister played tennis for their respective colleges. Prior's father, Jerry, grew up in Chicago and attended Loyola Academy.

• Mark used to tag along with his older brother, Jerry, and hang out with him at the batting cages and at games. When Mark was a freshman in high school, he convinced his Dad to buy a soft-toss net for the backyard so he could work on his hitting.

  "Originally, we had it outside and then I started tearing up the grass and then it would rain and I couldn't hit so we put it in the garage," Mark said. "Eventually the net wore out and I'd hit the ball and it would go through the net. It's just drywall so I was just putting holes in the drywall and we had to duct tape it up. "Maybe it's time for me to fix it now. I can pay for it," Mark said in 2003, laughing. The duct tape is still there in the Priors' garage.

  HAD A PITCHING COACH AS A KID

• Mark had a pitching coach, Jay Marter, when he was 12 years old. And he worked closely with Tom House, the former Major League pitcher and pitching coach whose past pupils included Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. Prior got the super-fluid motion and smooth mechanics from Martel and later, Randy Epshire.

• It was during his sophomore year of high school in San Diego when his life changed. Someone in the stands who was watching his son pitch against Prior and called him over after the game.

  "He said to me, 'Son, I think you're pretty good with your fastball. But throw your breaking ball when you get hit around like that.' I told him I didn't have one."

  And that was when the man, former Major League pitcher and pitching coach Tom House, started working with Prior.

• Tom House's son was on Prior's team, when he was 15. And after one particularly bad game, the fathers of the two players met and talked. House had a reputation for being an unorthodox pitching coach. His pitchers would throw footballs around the diamond as part of his program. A former big-league pitcher, House did gain plenty of positive publicity, too.

  It helps when one of your pupils is Nolan Ryan. Prior started to work with House at the age of 16 and has maintained a relationship with him. "There's sports science now, biomechanics with physical preparation, nutrition, and mental and emotional," House said. "Mark has accessed that information from age 14, 15 years old. I'm just like the conduit now. He's done all the work."

• As a youth, Mark loved basketball as much as baseball. In his senior year of high school, Mark quit the basketball team to concentrate on baseball. And the basketball team went on and won the state championship.

  It was a decision that really took a lot of courage. Young Mark was razzed by schoolmates about his decision. Luke Walton, son of NBA star and broadcaster Bill Walton, attended the same high school. It was a powerhouse team. But Mark was steadfast and opted to support the basketball team as a fan.

• After high school, Mark was first drafted by the Yankees in the first round. At University High in Bonita, California, he went 10-5, 0.93 ERA, and hit .410 with 15 homers. But he went to Vanderbilt instead, then transferred to the University of Southern California after his freshman year.

  "I just don't think the main focus was winning a national championship," Prior said of Vanderbilt's program. "It was more of getting into the playoffs or having a good year. That wasn't the way I wanted to play. I needed a change."

• Mark pitched the deciding game for the USA National Team in the Honkbal Tournament in the Netherlands, beating arch-rival Cuba.
• Some think that Prior might be the best pitcher in college baseball history—better than Floyd Bannister.
• In 2001, Prior was Collegiate Baseball Magazine's Player of the Year after going 14-1 with a 1.50 ERA. In seven of his starts in which he didn't issue a single walk, he struck out 86 batters.
• Mark patterns himself after both Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens. He says he would "like to emulate them as best I can. Both of the think out there on the mound a lot. They know what they want to do and, obviously, they have no fear of being hit. They feel like they're in control the entire time."
• Because of WGN-TV, the superstation that shows the Cubs, Prior became a fan of the team.
• After signing that first pro pact, he didn't go spend huge amounts of money. "I bought a car, a Lexus SUV. But the only reason I bought it is because it was the best car out there. It was a practical decision."
  
  

• Mark is intelligent and soft-spoken. He takes a joke well and is able to laugh at himself. He has the style you like to see in a Major Leaguer. He is focused, unassuming and all business.

• His musical tastes? "I listen to everything—country, rap, alternative, rock." But he mostly listens to the radio, rather than buy a bunch of CDs, etc.

• Mark can really cook. In college, his roommates called him "Betty Crocker." 

• Prior has the biggest calves you have ever seen. His teammates with the West Tennessee Diamond Jax nicknamed him "Calf-zilla." Cubs catcher Todd Hundley said, "Those things are bigger than my thighs!" He has had them all his life.

  Mark could reverse dunk a basketball when he was in the 10th grade. Those calves are at the base of his smooth-but-powerful delivery. His fastball may come from his fine right arm, but it starts in his calves.

• During the offseason before 2003 Spring Training, besides maintaining his rigorous conditioning program, Prior attended USC and took two classes, operations management and strategy analysis management, as he tries to finish his business marketing degree. He got an A and a B. 

• During the season, on the first and second days after a start, Prior does an hour of cardio, whether on a stationary bike, on a StairMaster or running in the outfield. On the first and third days, he does weight training but emphasizes functional strength. For example, while doing forearm exercises, Mark will position his arm to mimic the grips on his fastball, curve and change, training the muscle groups that each pitch requires.

  The third day is also Prior's day to throw in the bullpen. When he is at home, Mark usually will watch his next opponents' games on his satellite dish. The day before he makes a start, the fourth day, he does light sprints and long tossing.

• Mark and long-time girlfriend Heather Gora were married November 15, 2003 in San Diego.

• In May 2004, Prior received his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Southern California in graduation ceremonies. He had spent the offseasons in 2001 through 2003 finishing his undergraduate classes.
• During Mark's rehab stint in June 2004, he paid $2,500 plus a $300 tip to a local Outback Steakhouse to cater a post-game meal for the Iowa Cubs.

• When he was 21, Mark made his Major League debut for the Cubs. By the time he was 23, he was tossing a gem in Game 5 of the 2003 NLDS and had the Cubs just five outs away from the World Series.

  In 2006, at 25, Prior had thrown his last pitch in the majors, his career derailed by maddening injuries. But he kept trying to work his way back until he finally retired in the winter of 2013 to take a baseball-operations job with the Padres.

  The highest highs, the lowest lows, Prior has covered them all.  Prior, 34, is back in uniform as a first-year Minor League pitching coordinator for the team after a year in the front office. He is in big league camp where there are actually three pitchers older than him—Jason Lane, 38, Joaquin Benoit, 37, and Jose Valverde, 36.

  Prior will head over to the Minor League side for prospect camp Thursday and then to Minor League camp in March, where he figures to share more than just instruction. He will share his story, the highs and lows, with hopes it might resonate with someone.

  "I think as a player, anytime you can listen to someone talk to you coming from a place they've been, it's a little more tangible, a little more genuine," Prior said. "And I think that because of the wide range of my career ... from the top to the bottom, hopefully I have some experience that I can relate to someone, personally or professionally. If I can, then all the better."

  Prior was able to do amateur and professional scouting last year with the team but felt he didn't get a chance to touch the development side. This role will certainly give him that opportunity as he works with young pitchers in the system on a daily basis, rotating through Minor League affiliates once the season begins.

  San Diego manager Bud Black said this new role fits Prior perfectly.  "When Mark decided to retire as a player and came on board, I could see a guy with a lot of potential in this game, no matter which direction he took," Black said. "I saw the work ethic, I saw him go out and scout, write reports, and we've had dialog about pitchers and players.  He's going to bring a lot to us. He brings a great perspective as a guy who has been through a lot. He has a perspective that will be very useful for all of us, especially the players."

  Prior and Lane, two former USC Trojans, were standing off to the side of one practice field talking pitching. Prior sounded energized afterward, especially after listening to Lane, the converted outfielder who is still trying to master the nuances of pitching.

  "He's still really passionate about the game. He's still trying to learn the art of pitching. He's still trying to find his way," Prior said. "And the neat thing about it is there's no right way and no wrong way to go about it. He's doing it his way." (Brock - mlb.com - 2/22/15)

  TRANSACTIONS
• June 2001: The Cubs drafted Mark in the first round, out of USC. In August, Mark signed for $10.5 million over five years (2002-2006). 
• January 31, 2007: The Cubs and Prior avoided salary arbitration when he signed a one-year pact for $3.5 million. 
• December 12, 2007: The Cubs decided not to tender a contract to Prior, cutting ties with Mark and making him a free agent.
• December 26, 2007: Mark and the Padres agreed to a one-year contract with a $1 million base salary.
• October 31, 2008: Prior filed for free agency.
• January 13, 2009: Mark signed back with the Padres, getting a minor league contract worth $15,000 per month.
• August 1, 2009: The Padres released Prior when he just could not get in good enough shape to face even Rookie League hitters. He was still in pain.

• Sept 3, 2010: Prior signed with the Rangers organization as a long-term project.

  "I just want to see what I have left," Prior told the New York Times. "I'm doing this because I love playing. If what I've got left is good enough to get back up there, I'd love to put some more years under my belt. The only regret would be what if I could have one more shot, whether I get back for one day or five or six more years. I don't think I was ready to say, 'All right, that's it. I've had enough.'"

• Nov 2010: Prior elected to become a free agent but still talked with the Rangers about a deal.
• Dec 14, 2010: Prior signed with the Yankees' organization.

• May 2, 2012: Prior signed with the Red Sox organization.

  August 17, 2012: The Red Sox released Mark.

• March 1, 2013: Prior signed with the Reds organization.

  June 28, 2013: The Reds released Mark.

• Prior has the strong, athletic build you look for in a pitcher. He will be a very good number one starter in a Major League rotation. He has a loose, easy arm action from solid mechanics.

  His exploding four-seam FASTBALL is 90-97 mph. He has a knee-buckling CURVEBALL, along with a good CIRCLE-CHANGEUP that Cub pitching coach Larry Rothschild helped him turn into a real weapon. Mark's curve is close to being a 12-to-6 job. But it is more of a one-to-seven.

  He dropped a slider, only now throwing a slurvy curve as an accident. He added a PALM BALL in 2002. It is a revised changeup. He puts the ball deeper in his right hand and altered the grip. ''I wanted to see if I could slow it down a little, and the grip felt more comfortable,'' Prior said. ''It's not coming out of my hand so much like a fastball anymore. It's almost like a palm ball.''

• Prior's fastball has good movement in on the hitter's hands. It runs up and in. "I learned the curveball from my brother when I was 13 or 14. It was more of a slurve until 2001," Mark said. "My change is a straight change, similar to a circle, but I leave my finger up. I learned it when I was 14."
• The gutty Mark does his best work in the big game. Pressure doesn't affect his performance.
• He overmatches the opposition when he is throwing strikes. And his control is almost always laser-beam excellent to both sides of the plate. And he also has a feel for changing eye levels (which means he pitches up and down in the strike zone, too). He has superb mechanics. The ball just jumps out of his hand without a lot of effort. And he has the intelligence and drive to be a big success.

• Prior has picture-perfect pitching mechanics.

  ''I haven't seen anyone that naturally fluid since Saberhagen,'' former Cubs catcher Todd Hundley said. ''He has a slow windup that lulls you to sleep, and then—wham! He throws you a 96-mph fastball. His fastball explodes through the strike zone like Kerry Wood's does. He has a great changeup, just awesome. I guess his curveball is his best pitch, but I was really impressed with his changeup. He puts the ball where he wants it with his control, and it's a dead fish at the end."

• Mark's fluid windup is almost hypnotizing: a unanimity of arms and legs spitting out disorienting changeups, knee-knocking curves, and 95 mph fastballs. The ball comes out of his hand easier than any pitcher you might ever see.
• Prior harnesses his game emotions, rarely getting rattled. ''I'm just pretty mild-mannered overall,'' he said. ''When I was coming up, people warned me not to react. You don't want a reputation. Umpires are going to start using it negatively. If you see me yelling, it's usually at myself and rarely at anyone else.''
• When Mark lands on his heel, he has trouble keeping a downward plane. He has to land on the ball of his foot. Prior got into bad mechanics while coming back from his Achilles' injury midway through the 2005 season.

• In 2003, Prior held hitters to a .231 average. Within that, lefthanded hitters posted a .240 average with only 6 home runs in 94.2 innings, righthanded batters hit .223 with 9 home runs in 116.2 innings.

• In 2003, Prior led the National League in pitches per start, averaging 113 pitches per game.

• Prior's career stats (2002-2006): 42-29 and a 3.51 ERA. Hitters managed only a .235 average off Mark, along with 77 home runs and 582 hits in 657 innings.

• In 2003, Prior batted 20 points higher (.250) than the batters who faced him (.231).

       POST-PLAYING CAREER POSITIONS

• Prior worked as a minor league pitching coordinator for the Padres for three seasons.

• 2018: The Dodgers hired Prior as their bullpen coach.

• October 2019: Pryor became the Dodgers pitching coach, replacing long-time Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt.

• September 2, 2002: Prior strained his left hamstring and went on the D.L.
• July 12-August 4, 2003: Prior was on the D.L. with a sore right shoulder. He bruised it in a collision with Braves second baseman Marcus Giles.

• March 1-June 4, 2004: Prior sat out much of spring training and the first two months of the regular season with an inflamed right Achilles tendon. He had some soreness in the same area in September 2003 and in January before reporting to spring camp. The Cubs decided to shut him down this time, allowing him to recuperate.

  It is in the right foot, which Mark uses to push off the rubber. It is caused in part because of Prior's huge legs and calves. A big part of rehab was stretching.

• July 15, 2004: Mark had to leave his 8th start of the season less than two innings in. He had pain in his right elbow. There was no ligament damage. The Cubs scheduled a bone scan to try to find what was causing him pain.
• May 28-June 26, 2005: Prior was on the D.L. after being hit in the right elbow by a line drive. An MRI showed a compression fracture near the elbow.
• March 14-June 18, 2006: Prior was sidelined with a posterior shoulder strain. It was a moderate strain in Prior's subscapularis, a muscle in the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. 
• July 5-21, 2006: Mark was back on the D.L. This time it was a strained oblique muscle.
• August 12, 2006: Prior was back on the D.L. with shoulder tendinitis.

• April 2007: Mark began the season on the D.L. because of discomfort in his right shoulder.

  He underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery on April 24 in Birmingham, Alabama, via Dr. James Andrews. Once the doctor got in there, the damage was significant, working on his rotator cuff.

• March 21, 2008: Prior began the season on the 60-day D.L. with a right shoulder strain.

• May 16, 2008: Mark had a tear in the capsule of his surgically repaired right shoulder discovered during a consultation with Dr. Andrews in Birmingham. Prior had surgery on the shoulder on June 4, 2008, to repair a tear in the anterior capsule of that right shoulder. Padres doctors Heinz Hoenecke and Jan Fronek did the procedure.

  It was during surgery when Hoenecke and Fronek discovered that the capsule in Prior's right shoulder had torn away from the humerus bone—an injury that neither Hoenecke nor Fronek had heard of another baseball player having before. The injury, according to Fronek, is often associated with a "traumatic events, usually from a fall."

• 2009: Prior spent most of the season on the D.L. again. On August 1, the Padres released him.

• April 19-July 7, 2011: Mark was on the Yankees' D.L.