re: Arm soreness - agree or disagree?

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We think that the infatuation on velocity in youth baseball bears some blame.

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LINK

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Looking at high school pitchers taken in the first round between 2011 and 2017, over one-third (23 of 66) suffered an injury that required shoulder or elbow surgery. Those 23 pitchers averaged 94.3 mph in high school. There are only 23 pitchers total in the majors throwing that hard.

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I agree. Quick question though. If the kid was a 3 sport star, but those 3 were pitcher, QB, and javelin would he have the same problem?

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Yes, Andrews recommends break from all overhead sports

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Looking at high school pitchers taken in the first round between 2011 and 2017, over one-third (23 of 66) suffered an injury that required shoulder or elbow surgery. Those 23 pitchers averaged 94.3 mph in high school. There are only 23 pitchers total in the majors throwing that hard.

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because people have forgotten that being a successful big league pitcher is as much about being able to change speeds (regardless of what your top speed is) to keep hitters off-balance and being able to locate multiple different pitches than just being able to throw straight gas. Problem is, for whatever reason, people put such a high premium on how hard one can throw that pitchers train to be able to throw harder instead of simply learning how to pitch better. And they throw at 100% of their potential velocity with every pitch in every game. That was one of the big things Ben McDonald focused on when he was talking about pitching injuries. Pitchers just kill themselves with every pitch they throw, putting more and more stress on their arms.

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I agree to an extent. Of course, Walker will never throw like a Hess or Peterson, but I wonder how much Walker pitched in his younger years? Was it every summer, fall, and spring since he was 10? My point is more on the overuse during younger years as opposed to velocity. But, I do agree that there is more of an emphasis put on velocity than it used to be.

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Walker was a starting QB for a 5A football team in Texas. So while throwing a football isn't nearly as stressful on an arm, he basically gave his arm no rest his entire youth career. If he wasn't throwing a baseball, he was throwing a football. All athletes' bodies need time to rest and heal. I'm actually glad it is becoming more and more prevalent that more college pitchers are being shut down for several months after the season ends instead of going straight into summer leagues, then to fall ball, then to spring practice, then the next season, rinse and repeat.

"I want to encourage the families and parents that are out there that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old. That you have time, that BASEBALL IS NOT A YEAR ROUND SPORT. That you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports. Don’t let the institutions that are out there running before you guaranteeing scholarship dollars and signing bonuses that this is the way…."
John Smoltz hall of fame speech

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Why wouldn't you blame travel ball?

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It's sort of two sided I guess. A kid that only plays summer travel baseball would be different than a kid that plays summer, fall, and spring - and pitches year round. Right?

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I'm actually glad it is becoming more and more prevalent that more college pitchers are being shut down for several months after the season ends instead of going straight into summer leagues, then to fall ball, then to spring practice, then the next season, rinse and repeat.

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I’m not.

College aged pitchers are at the age where that isn’t totally irresponsible and it’s robbing kids who could have a future playing ball of quality development time.

Parents are robbing kids of quality development by trying to get them a shitty arse ring for a phony arse “national championship” when they’re 15.

College aged pitchers can handle a year round workload. Especially if it’s managed responsibly. 15 year olds can’t under the best conditions and travel ball for most kids is far from the best conditions

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College aged pitchers are at the age where that isn’t totally irresponsible and it’s robbing kids who could have a future playing ball of quality development time.

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I mean, they don't shut down EVERYONE. We sent 3 pitchers to summer leagues last year. But I do think most players benefit more from resting and healing time than the alternative. That's not to say they can't work on things in the summer, but they do need rest at some point during the calendar year. And clearly they are not at the age where they are ready for that. I mean, professional pitchers have a couple of months where they shut it down to let their bodies heal. And they are not nearly as susceptible to these injuries as younger players are that are still developing physically. 18, 19, and 20 year old kids are not done growing and developing physically.

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Parents are robbing kids of quality development by trying to get them a shitty arse ring for a phony arse “national championship” when they’re 15.

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I agree with this but the this and the former aren't mutually exclusive ideas.

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College aged pitchers can handle a year round workload. Especially if it’s managed responsibly.

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Given the rise in injuries and the root of the problem not being completely clear, I don't think you can say this definitively. But I will disagree that I don't think any athlete that participates in any sport that requires your body to repeatedly do things it's not supposed to do is something that needs to be done year-round, regardless of age

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Given the rise in injuries and the root of the problem not being completely clear, I don't think you can say this definitively. But I will disagree that I don't think any athlete that participates in any sport that requires your body to repeatedly do things it's not supposed to do is something that needs to be done year-round, regardless of age

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Ok I worded that poorly, I didn’t even realize I said year round. You’re correct. No one should be throwing year round but I think a couple months in a summer ball league getting different advise from different eyes is invaluable to a college pitcher and I hate to see a pitcher miss out on that opportunity due to overuse before he gets to that level.

I’m glad we shut the majority of our pitchers down now because practically all of them are overworked before college. I’m not glad that we have to shut them down though

A problem though is how early colleges are offering. At my son’s high school, one of the kids committed to LSU last year as a freshman and another as a Sophomore. One played major travel baseball year round and the other probably about 8 months or so....since they were 8. Yes, the overwhelming majority of kids that do that since 8 years old still don’t make it.