MLB's ELBOW Problem

[redseat]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/how-mlb-s-elbow-epidemic-is-mowing-through-young-pitchers-and-has-no-solution-023608037.html

The big bosses do not want to hear the truth. Over the past two months, a handful of team presidents have called Major League Baseball's offices on Park Avenue and asked what the hell the sport is doing to fix the epidemic of pitchers' elbows blowing out. They want to hear that baseball is doing everything it can, that it recognizes this isn't some trend likely to pass by, that the league will be diligent in its pursuit of a solution. And so that's what they hear.

Down a level or two in management, inside the front offices bearing the brunt of ulnar collateral ligaments going off like landmines, they do want to hear the truth. It is ugly. It is troublesome. It is downright depressing. It is why when 21-year-old Marlins right-hander Jose Fernandez, the best young pitcher in baseball, reportedly tears his ulnar collateral ligament and likely heads to the 34th known Tommy John surgery in organized baseball this year – that's one every 2.5 days since the first on Feb. 18 – the GMs and assistant GMs cringe, fearful that their guy is next, that this isn't going away any time soon.

"Call me in 2022."

 

[redseat]

INSANE - 33 pitchers already with Tommy John!!

Of the 33 pitchers to undergo Tommy John this season, only three are not in their 20s: Luke Hochevar (30), Josh Johnson (30) and Peter Moylan (35). Almost all of the pitchers who have blown out grew up in an era when the importance of pitch counts was stressed (though often not enforced), and they ended up on a surgeon's table anyway. Which is why the presidents and GMs are asking the same questions being passed throughout the sport in email chains, bandied among gossiping scouts and debated inside clubhouses, with a dozen pitchers on every team hoping they're not next.

 

[Microwahevo]

MLB Tommy John on surgeries: 'Unreal' - ESPN

Here is what Tommy himself had to say on the matter:

"Throwing pitches in the big leagues will not hurt your arm," John told the Daily Times. "It's what you did down the road when you were younger. ... In essence, the injury itself is a buildup of overuse. And not overuse as an adult, but overuse as a kid.

"What I would like to see these guys do, these surgeons and all, is ask all the guys who have had the surgery -- 'How much did you pitch as a kid and how often, and did you pitch year-round?' And nowadays, probably 70 to 80 percent of the pitchers today have been pitching 12 months a year since they were seven, eight or nine years old. And your arm is not made for that."

 

[redseat]

Heck even Matt Wieters might be having it!

 

[Mistaken4193]

I would up the MLB roster to 30 players only allowing pitchers to make up the 5 extra spots. More pitchers on the roster would mean less innings for one pitcher and Help out with the Tommy John epidemic. IMO

 

[redseat]

Yes possibly but these guys pitch every 5th day. Shouldn't that be enough time in between starts. Also these guys have to work out harder? no?

 

[Mistaken4193]

Yes possibly but these guys pitch every 5th day. Shouldn't that be enough time in between starts. Also these guys have to work out harder? no?

Yea but if you had 5 more pitchers available at least 2 of them are gonna be starters. So that would give teams a 7 man rotation. That would then give a pitcher 2 extra days rest. Pitchers really only have 1 day completely off from throwing( the day after their start) The other days they always throw a bullpen session. So if you go to a 7 man rotation in they now would have 3 days completely off with no throwing. It wouldn't eliminated UCL tears completely but I think it would reduce it by a lot.

 

[redseat]

Yea but if you had 5 more pitchers available at least 2 of them are gonna be starters. So that would give teams a 7 man rotation. That would then give a pitcher 2 extra days rest. Pitchers really only have 1 day completely off from throwing( the day after their start) The other days they always throw a bullpen session. So if you go to a 7 man rotation in they now would have 3 days completely off with no throwing. It wouldn't eliminated UCL tears completely but I think it would reduce it by a lot.

It would be nice to see this but we also have to look at the players and see what their workout habits are and how well they are in shape.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

It seems to me that the root of the problem is generally in little league and high school moreso than MLB and its minor league affiliates.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

If it is indeed, occurring in levels prior to any MLB time or affiliate, then this situation could get a little sticky. Now granted, there are other things to consider like mechanics and velocity, but it increasingly appears that this has less to do with pitch counts at the MLB level, and more about pitch counts as a 10-15 year old.

 

[redseat]

and more about pitch counts as a 10-15 year old.

Hasn't little league really cracked down on this though?

 

[Fountain City Blues]

and more about pitch counts as a 10-15 year old.

Hasn't little league really cracked down on this though?

Evidently not enough.

 

[YourFriendGannon]

The NFL and MLB will be forgotten irrelevant relics in 10-20 years. Good riddence.

 

[Microwahevo]

The NFL and MLB will be forgotten irrelevant relics in 10-20 years. Good riddence.

Thx for that wonderful insight. Dumbass.

 

[navamind]

The NFL and MLB will be forgotten irrelevant relics in 10-20 years. Good riddence.

 

[apachef4]

and more about pitch counts as a 10-15 year old.

Hasn't little league really cracked down on this though?

Evidently not enough.

I don't think Little League, the organization, is the problem. It does (at least that I've seen) indeed track pitch counts and enforce them. However, there are many other leagues out there like travel leagues. My experience with them is completely anecdotal, but from what I've seen of them, they'll do whatever it takes to win and promote "their" kid, regardless of the long-term consequences. These are the uber-competitive leagues, akin to AAU basketball. In my area, the best kids often play in these leagues instead of Little League, then come back to play All-Stars so they have a shot to be on ESPN.

 

[Toucanbird]

MLB Tommy John on surgeries: 'Unreal' - ESPN

Here is what Tommy himself had to say on the matter:

"Throwing pitches in the big leagues will not hurt your arm," John told the Daily Times. "It's what you did down the road when you were younger. ... In essence, the injury itself is a buildup of overuse. And not overuse as an adult, but overuse as a kid.

"What I would like to see these guys do, these surgeons and all, is ask all the guys who have had the surgery -- 'How much did you pitch as a kid and how often, and did you pitch year-round?' And nowadays, probably 70 to 80 percent of the pitchers today have been pitching 12 months a year since they were seven, eight or nine years old. And your arm is not made for that."

Tommy John is right about that. The problem isn't the pitch count in MLB or the MiLB, but rather all other organized baseball. Whether it be Little League, Pony League (or whatever they call Junior High baseball now), or high school, the problem is how much young kids are throwing the baseball and how.

My dad used to be a pitcher and he thought about applying for a coaching job at my high school. He said if he were a pitching coach, he'd do several things that our HS at the time wasn't doing. First, build a 4-5 man rotation (my HS only had a 2 man rotation at the time). Secondly, no curveballs or breaking pitches. Only pitches you'd throw are fastballs and changeups. He said curveballs and sliders destroy your elbow faster than any other pitch you could possibly throw.

To put it simply, these kids are destroying their elbows before they can fully develop them. As many of you have noticed, most of these guys getting Tommy John are in their early to mid 20s. They've thrown so much as a young pitcher that they've destroyed their elbows before they've had a chance to REALLY show it off in the bigs. There needs to be some sort of limitations as to how much and what sort of pitches young pitchers can pitch. Of course, that's a difficult thing to tell a kid because the more pitches you have in your arsenal, the more likely you'll be noticed by MLB. However, the downside to that is your destroying ligaments in your elbow and like 30+ MLB pitchers this season, you'll likely have to miss a year or more of MLB action because of it. It's a slippery slope to walk...