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

David Schoenfield of ESPN recently opined Mark Pr ior is the most hyped prospect in Chicago Cubs history. But I’m not so sure that’s really accurate.

Looking back at Mark Prior‘s rapid ascent to the big leagues is something that’s actually pretty hard to wrap our minds around given how big of a focus there is on player development in today’s game. But 18 years ago, the Chicago Cubs added the big right-hander to their roster with a mere nine minor league appearances to his credit.

Chicago drafted Prior the previous summer with the second overall pick in the June draft out of USC. He was coming off a dominant run with the Trojans, to say the least. After transferring from another baseball powerhouse in Vanderbilt, he made 37 starts across two campaigns, working to a 2.62 ERA while striking out 352 and walking only 64.

As noted in a July 2011 article from ESPN, Prior was on a whole new level in his junior season at USC, losing just once and putting up a 58:2 strikeout-to-walk mark in the month of April in 36 innings of work. A few short months later, the Cubs tapped Prior in the draft, marking the start of his professional career.