re: Mandatory Pitch Counts for College Pitchers?

Strangely enough, the 3 highest pitch counts in the entire NCAA this year were by pitchers of 3 diffferent teams all 3 pichers against Jackson State.

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Strangely enough, the 3 highest pitch counts in the entire NCAA this year were by pitchers of 3 diffferent teams all 3 pichers against Jackson State.

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They were probably other HBCUs, who are notoriously hard on pitchers arms, unless they have a guy that can make it to the next level.

Kyle Peterson is the best guy ESPN has for college baseball but he sounds foolish every time he brings this up.

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They were probably other HBCUs, who are notoriously hard on pitchers arms, unless they have a guy that can make it to the next level.

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ding ding ding...

Alabama A&M - Josh Freeman 183
Rust (non-DI) - D Wright 164
Alcorn State - Harrison Gary 162

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Come the end of the season, they'll do whatever it to secure their paycheck, even at the expense of a player trying to make their own money off their arm.

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so what is the primary limit? what is the appropriate time frame to wait if thrown over X # of pitches?

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I would say something like if you pitch 115 pitches, the pitcher is unavailable to pitch more than 20 pitches for 4 days... Nothing severe, but something to make sure some coaches don't do dumb shite.

I'm against it in any form.

First, let me say that Fox is an idiot for what he did. But honestly, 10 years ago, no one would have given it a second thought.

It's a bad idea for a few reasons. The first is that there is almost no number to put it at for it to be affective. Too high, and there's no point. Too low, and it handcuffs many lower level teams that have a limited supply of arms with none of them having a chance to get to the next level.

Second, it's almost impossible to attribute arm injuries to overuse in college where, for the first time, starters only throw once a week, relievers are rarely overworked, and coaches are much more aware of pitch counts. And once the post season comes around, you're left with the teams with the deepest staffs and the best trainers giving the best care before and after the games.

Finally, Almost every arm injury I've witnessed (including my own) has been a result of either two things: 1) lack of preparation in terms of off-season arm strengthening, properly warming up, or not doing the proper things after the game; 2) one pitch where something in the arms gives/tears as a result of mechanics or freak accident.

In the end, coaches and players have to be responsible. I agree that an irresponsible coach won't keep players or his job for long. And KP is an amazing analyst, but I completely disagree with him here.

ETA: nb4tl,dr

How about mandatory pitch counts for high school pitchers? Should the LHSAA step in and keep some high schools from overusing some of their pitchers?

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I've been unfortunate enough to require Tommy John surgery forcing me to take a fifth year (csb), so I have a pretty strong opinion on the topic that I'll save for later in the thread.

So what say you?

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I hate the idea of the NCAA implementing rules that would negatively affect the game. It's like government, once the rule is in play, there is no going back...despite any common sense or even evidence to the contrary. It would be very likely that it would go too far.

The truth is that not every player is the same, and not every player has as much to lose as another. And, the player needs to take on the responsibility of protecting himself. I do not accept that the NCAA needs to protect players from themselves.

Having said that, what Fox did was waaaay over the line. He needs to be held accountable. I don't think that every coach would do the same thing...even in the same circumstances.

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I hate the idea of the NCAA implementing rules that would negatively affect the game. It's like government, once the rule is in play, there is no going back...despite any common sense or even evidence to the contrary. It would be very likely that it would go too far. The truth is that not every player is the same, and not every player has as much to lose as another. And, the player needs to take on the responsibility of protecting himself. I do not accept that the NCAA needs to protect players from themselves.

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I agree the NCAA would find a way to frick it up. But that's not necessarily an argument against the principle of it.