This much is clear about Mark Prior, who is sparking debate within the Cubs hierarchy over whether he should break camp as the team’s fifth starter:
He already talks like a major-leaguer.
Asked if he’s aware of the praise manager Don Baylor has showered upon him, Prior responded: “What he says, whether it’s good or bad, I’m not reading the papers. I’m not looking to find out what people are saying. I’m just going about my business.”
Smart move. Prior doesn’t need the confidence boost Baylor’s comments might have provided. He already should feel like he belongs after his dazzling performance Friday against the White Sox, when he struck out seven batters in three shutout innings.
And that came against a lineup devoid of pretenders. It included every projected Sox starter except catcher Sandy Alomar Jr.
“It gave me a little confidence to know that I can pitch at this level,” he said. “But it was just one game. If I go out and pitch against them tomorrow, I could give up seven runs.”
Baylor doubts that. He already is convinced Prior is major-league ready.
“I’m not arguing that, believe me,” he said. “And that would solve the fifth starter’s [spot], wouldn’t it?”
But while Baylor has the final word on his Opening Day roster, he knows he would have to battle upper management to keep the 21-year-old Prior.
“Our guys all agree that he needs experience,” Baylor said. “So he’ll have to get some innings under his belt. But he’s [more than] a September call-up, I can tell you that.”
Before spring training, Prior had not pitched competitively since the College World Series in June. And he has thrown only five innings this spring.
The thinking goes that it would be wise to let Prior get his cleats wet at Double-A West Tenn rather than risk damaging his confidence against big-league hitters.
“But I don’t think he would have a problem dealing with the mental part of the game,” Baylor said. “To me, that’s his strong suit.”
Prior was heady enough to return to Southern Cal to pursue his business degree after signing a $10.5 million deal with the Cubs. Maturity is one of his most obvious attributes.
“Wherever they put me, whether it’s Daytona, Jackson, Des Moines or Chicago, I’ll do my job,” Prior said.
“Obviously everybody wants to be with the big-league team. Everybody’s fighting for a job and I’m included in that. I’m going to be disappointed [if I don’t make the team], but I’m not going to be upset or mad.”
Prior is slated to pitch Thursday against San Francisco. Baylor plans to use him as a starter five days after that.
And if Baylor were king, Prior might make his Cubs debut April 6 in the season’s fifth game.
If not, there’s a parallel with Kerry Wood, who made one start at Triple-A Iowa in 1998 before joining the Cubs’ rotation.
Baylor even joked that he wanted a guarantee that Prior would join the Cubs by May 1.
“If it’s 30 days [in the minors], I’ll get it in writing,” he said.
