A comprehensive study conducted by Major League Baseball over the past year has highlighted a significant rise in pitcher injuries, attributing it to soaring pitch velocities, intricate pitch shaping, and an increasing focus on maximum effort during games. The analysis, which spans 62 pages, suggests that these issues have permeated even down to high school and youth baseball, where young athletes are aiming to attract attention from professional scouts. Interestingly, the research found no correlation between the implementation of the pitch clock and increased injuries.
The report, rich in data and featuring 26 tables, is rooted in interviews with over 200 participants, including former players, medical professionals, coaches, and athletic trainers across multiple levels of play including Major League, college, and international leagues. Glenn Fleisig, the director of biomechanics research at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, remarked on the study being a pivotal moment. He emphasized that identifying the core issues and associated risk factors is merely the first step and welcomed the consensus reached among the experts involved. He noted that further research is needed to better understand the factors at play.
Potential areas for further investigation identified in the report include offseason training methodologies, early-season workloads, and non-game activities, along with fatigue measurement and biomechanics in pitching styles. There’s a keen interest in acquiring more data from international leagues to differentiate outcomes based on local and global signing practices.
Pitcher placements on the Injured List (IL) have dramatically escalated, jumping from 212 in 2005 to 485 in the current year, with the number of days spent on the IL skyrocketing from 13,666 to 32,257. The report outlines that primary contributors to this alarming trend might be the increase in pitch velocity and the modern pitcher’s tendency to exert maximum effort in all settings.
Various experts speculated on multiple factors potentially influencing the recent surge in injuries, such as the aftereffects of COVID-19 on seasons, the impact of the pitch clock, and inconsistencies with the grip of the baseball. However, the study did not yield sufficient evidence to link these elements directly to injuries in pitchers.
Based on the findings, experts advise that MLB consider implementing rule changes aimed at enhancing pitcher health and durability. One suggested approach could involve altering game rules to encourage starting pitchers to conserve energy, enabling them to pitch for longer durations in games. This might include regulatory adjustments on roster management, specifically controlling the number of pitchers available for each game.
Previously, MLB had tested a double-hook designated hitter rule in the Atlantic League, which enforced that a team would lose its DH if its starting pitcher failed to complete at least five innings. Additionally, MLB reduced the cap on pitchers from 14 to 13 in 2022 and reinstated a minimum IL period of 15 days after a brief reduction to 10 days.
Several injury causative factors were brought to light, including the use of weighted balls during training, increased intensity during bullpen sessions, and possibly a decline in cardiovascular conditioning and endurance training. There’s also a noted shift in workload management strategies that promote short bursts of high effort over longer, more sustainable pitching.
Experts highlighted emerging patterns in injuries that they believe are linked to the current focus on velocity and strenuous pitching efforts, including injuries such as latissimus and teres major tears, rib fractures, and oblique strains.
Significant statistics from the report indicate that:
1. Instances of Tommy John surgeries have surged from 104 in 2010 to a maximum of 314 in 2020 before dropping slightly to 281 this year.
2. The average pitch velocities for major league four-seam fastballs have climbed from 91.3 mph to 94.2 mph since 2008, alongside similar increases in other pitch types.
3. Days on the IL for elbow-related injuries have escalated from 3,940 in 2005 to 12,185 in 2023, with shoulder injuries similarly on the rise.
4. The number of pitcher IL placements from spring training through opening day rose markedly from 61 in 2017 to 112 in the current year.
5. There has also been a decline in the frequency of pitchers completing five or more innings in both major and minor leagues over the years.
6. Youth and high school pitcher UCL surgeries grew from 10% in 1995 to 52% in 2021 and have since receded to 42% in 2023.
7. A noticeable increase in high-velocity throwers among draft prospects has been documented, from just three players throwing 95 mph or higher in 2018, to 36 this year.
As Major League Baseball seeks to navigate these issues, the call for a deeper understanding of the evolving demands on pitchers remains crucial to sustaining their health and performance on the mound.