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Dodgers Set To Promote Mark Prior To Pitching Coach

By Connor Byrne | October 29, 2019 at 10:28pm CDT

The Dodgers lost pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to retirement earlier this month, though they appear to be closing in on a replacement. They’re working toward a deal to promote bullpen coach Mark Prior to take over for Honeycutt, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. It won’t be a surprising hire, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman suggested upon Honeycutt’s exit that Prior would grab the reins.

Prior, who’s now 39 years old, still counts as one of the most hyped pitching prospects of the past couple decades. He was a member of the Cubs from 2002-06, a span in which he ranged from good to excellent, but a rash of injuries ruined Prior’s MLB career and prevented him from pitching professionally after 2013. Prior then spent time as the Padres’ minor league pitching coordinator for three seasons before the Dodgers hired him to oversee their bullpen in advance of the 2018 campaign.

Now, assuming Prior does succeed Honeycutt, he’ll be inheriting a pitching staff with no shortage of talent. The Dodgers’ relief corps was somewhat of a sore spot in 2019, especially during a Game 5 meltdown against the Nationals in the NLDS, though the club’s pitchers still ranked at or near the top of the majors in ERA (first), K/BB ratio (first) and fWAR (second). Unfortunately for LA, it’s now at risk of losing starters Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill to free agency in the coming weeks. However, the big-spending team could re-sign either or both and/or go outside the organization this offseason to give Prior more to work with in 2020.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Mark Prior

Derek Dietrich Changes Representation
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Offseason Outlook: Cincinnati Reds
View Comments (61)

Comments

  1. Sun Devil 17

    3 years ago

    A change needs to be made. Let’s see what Prior can do.

    Reply
    • Captain Dunsel

      3 years ago

      Are you saying that he will be better than the prior coach?

      Reply
      • wintwins11

        3 years ago

        Did you even read the comment?

        Reply
        • dray16

          3 years ago

          did you?

        • keyser_soze

          3 years ago

          Did you?

        • Captain Dunsel

          3 years ago

          The prior coach was prior to Prior, who will be the coach prior to the next one.

        • nymetsking

          3 years ago

          Well done Captain. You’ve made your Mark.

        • Captain Dunsel

          3 years ago

          Thanks. I try to pitch in where I can.

        • genre99

          3 years ago

          AJ Ellis to replace the prior bullpen coach?

        • MafiaBass

          3 years ago

          Did I?

        • differentbears

          3 years ago

          AJ Ellis? Please no.

      • TwinCities

        3 years ago

        He IS the Prior pitching coach.

        Reply
      • jdan74

        3 years ago

        Prior. Great hior.

        Reply
      • johnk

        3 years ago

        Prior to the previous coach?

        Reply
    • marijuasher

      3 years ago

      Because the Dodgers had one of the best pitching staffs over the past decade?

      Also, people can retire when they wish. That is called retirement.

      I weep for the future of this nation.

      Reply
    • realsox

      3 years ago

      Do I remember this correctly? The Twins selected hometown favorite Joe Mauer with the first pick in the draft, which left Prior, the consensus #1 pick, available to the Cubs at #2 . . . ?

      Reply
      • sidewinder11

        3 years ago

        Not sure, but if so, the Twins made the right call. Prior was awesome at his peak but his career value pales in comparison to that of Mauer

        Reply
  2. 2bbige

    3 years ago

    Honeycutt was awesome, watching him walk was painful. Hope he rests & gets better. Glad he is staying in the Dodger organization.

    Reply
  3. padreshave32yrstobestdodger1stwswin

    3 years ago

    Boy, Doyers sure love to hire reject Padres coaches and player personnel—Billy Gasparino, Dave Roberts and now Mark Prior.

    Reply
    • socalbum

      3 years ago

      Padres really blew it by hiring Andy Green instead of Roberts, and not recognizing the talent of Gasparino and Prior

      Reply
      • angt222

        3 years ago

        SD blew it again not hiring Washington this offseason.

        Reply
        • nymetsking

          3 years ago

          Ron Washington: “Did someone say blow?”

        • BUGZ

          3 years ago

          lol

        • puigpower

          3 years ago

          Hahahah nicely done

        • Marc (Phillies Phan)

          3 years ago

          nymetsking- no you didn’t.

          But incredibly funny. Thank you for the laugh after a long day.

        • Frisco500

          3 years ago

          I think that’s the first time a comment actually made me lol

        • socalblake

          3 years ago

          +1 for the laugh

    • amk3510

      3 years ago

      The Padres wish they had hired Roberts instead of being cute with some guy no one has heard of. Good thing they had a chance to not make that mistake this time around…. oh wait

      Reply
    • keyser_soze

      3 years ago

      Can’t believe you actually hit the Post Comment button. Padres can’t even sniff the playoffs, unlike all of “rejects” that the Dodgers hired from the Padres

      Reply
      • halofanatic

        3 years ago

        What’s all this sniffing and blowing all about? Can’t get that Ron Washington tune out of my head.

        Reply
      • wordonthestreet

        3 years ago

        Yes keyser the Padres have certainly made some unwise decisions on coaching talent. The Padres are on the way to nowhere at their current state

        Reply
    • fox471

      3 years ago

      Yeah, Roberts was a huge mistake.

      Reply
  4. bluemarc

    3 years ago

    do not sign hill he is done ,please no more blister boy.

    Reply
    • LAblujay

      3 years ago

      Wrong post. Wait until there’s actually a Hill post. Also, I disagree.

      Reply
      • frankiegxiii

        3 years ago

        I agree with your disagreement. D.Mountain was awesome, anyone expecting 32 starts/200+ IP from Hill is delusional. Hill performed to expectations, he pitched some amazing games for us- 7 perfect innings, 9 no hit innings, 1.06 ERA in 17 NLCS IP with 11.1k/9, 1.80 ERA in 15 WS IP with 11.4k/9, a 30-16 win loss record with a 3.16 ERA as a Dodger and all this at nearly 40 years old! He was very entertaining to watch with his monster curveball and his acrobatic follow through. I would love to see Hill back on a cheap contract.

        Reply
  5. Ry.the.Stunner

    3 years ago

    One of the most injury-prone pitchers in recent memory coaching one of the most injury-prone starting staffs in the MLB.

    Reply
    • wordonthestreet

      3 years ago

      Yea I still recall one injury in particular. I was watching the game when he was pitching. Bam! Like shot right at him. Line drive. Hit him square on his pitching elbow. I remember thinking he career must be over. Had to have broken it.

      Turns out he was back on the mound several weeks later. Perhaps he should not have been? Maybe the Cubs not being more careful contributed to his demise.

      Reply
  6. BlueSkyLA

    3 years ago

    The “big spending Dodgers” will never pay the CBT, not for nobody, not for anything. Might that not hamper their ability to give Prior something more to work with in 2020?

    Reply
    • Dodger Dog

      3 years ago

      The Dodgers are second all time in most CBT fines paid – six times more than the next closest team.

      They are also currently $91 million under the cap.

      Literally everything you typed is wrong.

      Reply
      • BlueSkyLA

        3 years ago

        I see, and they’ve exceeded it recently? And they didn’t say in their prospectus to investors that they would not exceed it again? And they don’t have many players about to get a big arbitration salary bump?

        Seems you literally don’t know what you are talking about.

        Reply
        • thinkblech

          3 years ago

          The best thing to do when you’re wrong is to move the goalposts.

        • BlueSkyLA

          3 years ago

          Which only proves that you don’t know what you are talking about either. The Dodgers policy on the CBT would be blindingly obvious even if we hadn’t seen their investor prospectus, where it was explained in clear English. So no goal posts were moved, only their location was pointed out for those who didn’t notice them before. And ignoring all the big arbitration raises we know are coming, that isn’t wrong?

          Sheesh.

        • thinkblech

          3 years ago

          You absolutely moved the goalposts. Sheesh.

        • BlueSkyLA

          3 years ago

          Why in the world could it possibly matter what the Dodgers spent five years ago? Simple answer, nothing. Not a thing. Anyone who is paying even the slightest bit of attention knows what their spending policy has been for the last two seasons and is now. So you are apparently admitting to not paying even the slightest bit of attention. You are also apparently prepared to ignore the $50m+ in arbitration salaries they will be paying next year.

          Why even bother with such a total garbage response?

        • thinkblech

          3 years ago

          All I said was that you moved the goalposts, and then I reiterated that you moved the goalposts. Any reading into it beyond that is your thing.

          I also, not apparently, but in reality, am saying that I have no comment beyond, you moved the goalposts. There’s nothing else to be gleaned. There is no gotcha. You were wrong and got a gold medal in the 100 meter backpedal.

        • BlueSkyLA

          3 years ago

          You know how to makes this easy? Go back and read my first post (hint: it was about the likelihood of the Dodgers spending big on pitching). If you want to respond to that point, be my guest. If you don’t, then don’t. Otherwise you are just being argumentative for the sake of it.

        • thinkblech

          3 years ago

          Argumentative? Nah. Your logical fallacy in your first comment is hazy generalization, go ahead and look that up.

  7. Dodger Dog

    3 years ago

    The Dodgers are second all time in most CBT fines paid – six times more than the next closest team.

    They are also currently $91 million under the cap.

    Literally everything you typed is wrong.

    Reply
  8. frontdeskmike

    3 years ago

    I can’t believe that Rich Hill is older than Mark Prior. It seems like ages ago that Mark Prior was a star.

    Reply
    • Marc (Phillies Phan)

      3 years ago

      Mark Prior had potential. Shame about all his injuries. I hope he does well as a pitching coach.

      And I agree about Rich Hill. I was surprised but it shows that sometimes the decent ones outlive the potential superstars. Strasburg pitched a heck of a postseason and had a great year but with his track record, I wonder if he will be healthy in 2020. I wish no harm on the man, just wondering.

      Reply
    • Teufelshunde4

      3 years ago

      Having one good season & decent postseason doesnt make a player a star.
      Example newly retired David Freese had 1 good season & 1 great postseason and he wasnt a star.
      Prior was hyped prospect, who’s health compromised his career.

      Reply
      • marijuasher

        3 years ago

        He wasn’t a star to you. The man won’t ever have to pay for a steak dinner in St Louis, but you be you and see what you get for it.

        Reply
  9. em650r

    3 years ago

    Rash of injuries = Dusty Baker

    Reply
    • wordonthestreet

      3 years ago

      Prior had injuries. Not sure if you could blame it all on Baker. He had a like drive off his elbow once. Another time he got hurt breaking up a double play got flipped. Landed on his shoulder.

      Reply
      • Priggs89

        3 years ago

        Clearly both were Dusty’s fault.

        Reply
    • keyser_soze

      3 years ago

      Guess you can blame Dave Roberts for all of the Dodgers injuries, right?

      Reply
  10. cgallant

    3 years ago

    Hi young talent. Let me show you how to get injured every year and never live up to expectations.

    Reply
    • marijuasher

      3 years ago

      “Hello Internet! I’m bitter!”

      Reply
  11. iceman35pilot

    3 years ago

    Wonder if he’ll use the towel drill?

    Reply
  12. driftcat28

    3 years ago

    That’s awesome, glad Prior is still involved in the game. Had no idea he was even coaching until I read this

    Reply
  13. boognailz4

    3 years ago

    Does this make his baseball cards worth more $ now ??

    Reply

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