Prior’s Triple-A Debut Is Smashing

Having mastered double-A hitters in only six starts, former USC right-hander Mark Prior made his triple-A debut Tuesday night for the Iowa Cubs and put on a pitching and hitting display that might quickly propel him to the major leagues.

Prior, the second pick in last summer’s amateur draft, gave up three hits--all singles--two walks and one unearned run in 72/3 innings. He also hit two solo home runs, prompting curtain calls from Cub fans who haven’t anticipated a promotion this eagerly since Kerry Wood rose to the majors in 1998.

Prior struck out 10 before being lifted when he reached his 110-pitch limit with nobody on and two out in the eighth inning of a 6-1 victory over the Tucson Sidewinders.

“The fact that he struck out the side in 10 pitches [in the first inning] and hit two home runs, there isn’t much more that we could have expected,” said Andy MacPhail, Chicago Cub president and general manager.

“We all feel like he has a bright major league future in front of him, but his initial performance exceeded our expectations.”

Said Prior: “Going out and throwing well gave me the confidence that if I do get called up, I have what it takes to pitch at the big league level.”

MacPhail said the club promoted its star prospect to triple-A so he could face “more disciplined, experienced hitters and umpires who might shrink the strike zone a little bit.”

Prior was 4-1 with a 2.60 earned-run average and 55 strikeouts in 342/3 innings with the double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx.

“It will be something I’ll remember,” said Prior, whose last multihomer game came as a freshman at Vanderbilt. “It was just one of those things where the wind was blowing out and I made good contact.”