Mark Prior may be the Dodgers' pitching coach, but he's a San Diegan at heart

Mark Prior is a local legend in San Diego, a native son who starred in baseball at all levels of the game and still makes his home here.

Prior has been wearing Dodger Blue the past decade, however, and since 2020 has been the team's pitching coach. Three World Series trips include back-to-back championships the past two years.

It begs the question: Does Prior receive cheers or jeers when fans see him in town?

"I don't know," Prior said on the field Monday, an hour before the teams opened their three-game series at Petco Park. "I try to block most things out, like it was when I was a player. It's definitely unique.

"I grew up watching Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman, and I used to spend my summers at Qualcomm Stadium when I was a junior and senior (at University of San Diego High School) for like $5. I went to a lot of games, like most high school kids do."

Like most kids, Prior dreamed of making it to the major leagues. Unlike most kids, he had the talent to get there.

Prior starred at USDHS (now Cathedral Catholic) in the late 1990s. He had one of the greatest seasons in San Diego Section history as a senior, going 10-5 with a 0.91 ERA and hitting 15 home runs to earn 1998 section Player of the Year honors.

He followed that up three years later with one of the greatest college seasons ever. Pitching for USC, Prior went 15-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 202 strikeouts to win the 2001 Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur baseball player.

Prior was selected second overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2001 amateur draft. He was an All-Star with the Cubs two years later, going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA and 245 strikeouts, before injuries derailed a promising big-league career.

Prior worked in the Padres front office from 2013 to 18 before joining the Dodgers.

Gazing up around Petco Park, Prior marveled at what the organization has accomplished with the downtown ballpark.

"What they've been able to do is remarkable," Prior said. "It's an unbelievable entertainment venue right now. The way the Padres games are, those are electric, but everything else they've been able to do to activate the stadium.

"It's a pretty unique place as far as venues across the country. I love coming here. Obviously. I live here, so it's great to be here."

As nice as the atmosphere is at Petco, Prior's most fond memories will always be of the stadium in Mission Valley.

He got to take the mound there his junior year, when USDHS made the CIF San Diego Section finals against Mission Bay.

"Anytime a person has a chance to pitch in a big league stadium, it's special," he said. "At that time, I never knew if I would play in the big leagues."

Asked to pick a memorable moment, Prior made an interesting pull.

"I was there when the transformer blew. I do remember that," he said, recalling a game in July 2001 against Arizona when a pair of electrical transformers went out in the third inning with the Diamondbacks leading 1-0.

The game was postponed and resumed as part of a doubleheader the next day,

It was must-see baseball for Prior, who was eager to watch Arizona pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, the duo that led the D-Backs to the 2001 World Series.

Three years earlier, Prior witnessed the Padres' run to the World Series against the Yankees.

"I remember '98, I was a senior in high school, and I went to a lot of games that summer," Prior said. "It was fun. That's when baseball, for me, kind of went to another level, watching how cool it was."

Along with Schilling and Johnson, Prior remembers going to watch Atlanta's trio of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.

"And, obviously, (the Padres') Kevin Brown," he said.

Prior, 45, is married with two volleyball-playing daughters, one in college and the other about to join her. Time flies.

Nearly a quarter-century has passed since the Padres moved from Mission Valley to downtown.

"To see this get built and what's happened over the years," Prior said, "and to see what the team has become under (former chairman) Peter Seidler's guidance through the years, what he was able to do with this. It's great. It's great for the city, and I'm happy for them."

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 6:38 PM.