Chicago Cubs: Was Mark Prior the most hyped prospect in team history?

Chicago Cubs: Prior pitched like an ace from the get-go

He didn’t pitch that summer, but was so highly regarded coming out of college that Baseball America ranked him as the game’s second-best prospect in the spring of 20002, behind fellow hurler Josh Beckett – who was heading into third professional season after the Marlins drafted him out of high school in 1999.

So stopping right there for a second, it’s abundantly clear that Prior was – by pretty much all evaluations – poised to be the guy for the Chicago Cubs for years to come. In that regard, Schoenfield hit it right on the head. It’s hard for a guy to have much more hype than Prior did coming out of college, but I also don’t think it paints an entirely accurate picture, either.

Prior made his debut that year, making 19 starts and putting up solid numbers for a rookie in the midst of an offense-dominated era: a 122 ERA+ (3.32 ERA), 3.16 FIP, 3.87 SO/BB and 11.3 SO/9 across 116 2/3 innings. His big showing came in 2003, when he led the Cubs to the NLCS on the heels of a third-place finish in NL Cy Young voting after he struck out 245 in 211 1/3 innings of work with a league-leading 2.47 FIP.

We all know the story from there. Injuries mounted and what looked like the makings of a long, dominant big league career were cast to the wind. Prior now serves as the pitching coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers at just 39 years of age. All this to say, yes – Mark Prior was hyped – tremendously so. But I believe one player had more of a media circus surrounding him ahead of his debut.

Chicago Cubs: The hype was unprecedented when it came to KB

When Theo Epstein’s front office selected Kris Bryant with the second overall pick in 2013, immediately, those who followed the draft knew the Cubs had something special.

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Chicago had searched for decades for an answer at third base. With the exception of Aramis Ramirez, no one had been worthy of the role filled for years by Hall of Famer and fan favorite Ron Santo. Bryant looked like the guy to finally serve as the heir to Santo and his legacy at the Friendly Confines.

Coming out of the University of San Diego, where he put up a 1.314 OPS in his final season en route to the Golden Spikes Award, the Las Vegas native didn’t miss a beat. After Baseball America ranked him as the eighth-best prospect in the game heading into 2014, he not only met the hype – he exceeded it, winning Minor League Baseball Player of the Year honors from both USA Today and BA.

As 2015 neared, he climbed the prospect rankings, clocking in as the best talent in all MiLB. After joining the Cubs in late April, Bryant helped lead the team to a surprising postseason run, coming within four games of the World Series in his rookie campaign. His 26-homer, 99-RBI performance – to go along with a .369 OBP – helped net him National League Rookie of the Year honors.

Obviously, Bryant accomplished a great deal more than Prior in his still-ongoing career. But the hype was palpable and fans, knowing Epstein had his eyes on bringing a title to Wrigleyville, clamored for Bryant in a way that had never been seen before. There’s little doubt Sparkles is the most-hyped prospect in Chicago Cubs history – and with good reason.