Stephen Pryor made a fast impression for the Seattle Mariners this summer.
After they chose him in the fifth round of the 2010 baseball draft five months ago largely on the strength of his 96-98-mph fastball, the former Cleveland State Community College pitcher had a combined 2.04 earned run average with five saves and 55 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings for the Everett (Wash.) AquaSox and then the Clinton (Iowa) LumberKings.
Pryor was with the AquaSox as they won the first half of the Northwest League and moved up to Clinton in time to help the LumberKings win the Midwest League’s second half and reach the playoff finals. He was 0-2 with a save, a 3.71 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 17 innings for Clinton, and he has 1,000 signature trading cards with Panini.
One ranking has the 6-foot-4, 240-pound right-hander as the Mariners’ No. 8 prospect for 2011.
“Stephen is a very hard worker and is always trying to improve,” said LumberKings pitching coach Dwight Bernard. “He is very receptive to information that will possibly help him achieve his goal of reaching the major leagues as quickly as possible.
“He has an above-average fastball with an above-average slider,” Bernard added. “He needs to work on his changeup, which he is, and it’s getting better. He is a quick learner and has a very durable arm. He’s a big, strong kid that could pitch many years in the major leagues.”
Bernard said Pryor “is not afraid to fail, and that is a very important quality in a minor league player. You have to work on things that will help you succeed at the major league level and not just help you win in the minor leagues.”
After a stint in the instructional league in Arizona, Pryor is spending the offseason in the Chattanooga area, where he’ll work out and give private pitching lessons. He is married to the former Christian Hudgens, who pitched softball for Cleveland State after a Boyd-Buchanan career.
Coming from Friendship Christian, Pryor became the baseball Cougars’ ace as a freshman. He was drafted that year but returned to school and then went on to Tennessee Tech, where he had 75 strikeouts in 41 innings as the Golden Eagles’ closer in 2010.
He’s hoping to start the 2011 season with the Mariners’ high-A High Desert team in California, but he’s more concerned with getting his body and mind prepared for a full professional season.
“This year was exciting, and I was happy with it,” he said. “It’s something to build on for next year. But I’ve got to be in shape for a long year. People I’ve talked to say it’s a totally different thing. You’ve got to be ready for 130-140 games with only five or six days off in six months.
“Some people I know said their first full year was their best, but some people kind of slump as it stretches out. I think it’s all about mindset and how you take care of your body.”