MLB study identifies factors that increase pitcher injuries
An MLB study identified pitchers seeking greater velocity and better “stuff” while performing maximum effort more frequently as factors in the increase in arm injuries.
The Major League Baseball public on Tuesday a 62 page study and one year long about the pitcher injuriesin which identify the factors that contribute to the increase in arm ailmentsincluding players seeking greater speed and better “stuff” while performing maximum effort more frequently, both in-game and in non-game situations.
The study identified problems occurring at both the professional and amateur levels after interviewing more than 200 people within the industry, including “former professional pitchers, orthopedic surgeons, sports trainers, club officials, biomechanics, agents of players, amateur baseball stakeholders and other pitching development experts.
The study made general recommendations — including possible rule changes — to address the rise in pitcher injuries. However, MLB said the study was only the first step in a process that needs even more analysis.
For example, tracking pitchers’ training and workloads from spring training to the end of the season was an easier task for the study than during the winter months, when players are essentially alone. This seems particularly important because the study showed that pitcher injuries — both minor and more serious — increase during the spring, which at least suggests that pitchers are not adequately prepared for the start of spring training.
The study cited as examples Shane Bieber and Spencer Strider, who missed the season due to Tommy John surgery in March.
The league is concerned that pitchers may overexert themselves during the offseason in an attempt to optimize “their characteristics,” a term that refers to the “composite motion characteristics of pitches, including spin rate and horizontal and vertical break,” according to the study. Sweepers were cited as a relatively new release that contributes to this problem. Heavy ball training was also identified as needing further study, as there are conflicting opinions about its contribution to injuries.
More than anything, however, the study concluded that chasing velocity is the biggest contributing factor to pitchers’ injuries.
“I think there are many factors,” said an orthopedic surgeon in the study. “There’s no question that, if we take the simplest thing, which is fastball velocity, you can see how the average increase in fastball velocity has been completely parallel to the increase in injury incidence. If you could take a factor, that would be it.”
The league also found that pitchers at the professional level are “at least somewhat aware” of injury risks, but choose the more dangerous throwing style “because they perceive the rewards outweigh the risks, particularly in the short term.”
This way of thinking could also be seeping into the ranks of fans.
“We understand that throwing harder increases the risk of injury,” said one pitching coach. “That’s true at the population level. Now, for the overwhelming majority of human beings on Earth who aspire to play baseball at a serious level, that sacrifice is worth it.”
OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
In addition to the fundamental problems of the pursuit of speed and “resources,” the MLB study uncovered factors that tangentially contribute to the increase in injuries. These include, but are not limited to:
Modern Workload Management Strategies: The reduced workload, which is intended to protect pitchers, could contribute to injuries. Pitchers tend to go all out even harder when they know they won’t go very far in a game.
“I used to pitch for outs,” said one former MLB pitcher in the studio. “Now they’re looking for speed. I had to play a game of chess trying to get 24 or 27 outs. Now it’s a race to go as hard as you can, for as long as you can. The starters now have a relief mentality.”
The study particularly found a “perceived” trend that minor league players are not prepared for a major league workload. Inning limits, more rest between appearances and restrictions on pitching on consecutive days will likely negatively affect pitchers once they reach the major leagues.
“When are the first consecutive games pitched?” asked one former pitcher. “It’s in the major leagues. It’s the same thing three out of four days. In the minor leagues you’re not exposed to it. That puts a lot of strain on your arm if you’re not used to controlling warm-up pitches in the bullpen and recovery to prepare you for the next day.
Training: Anecdotally, experts are concerned that cardiovascular and resistance training for pitchers has become less important in favor of the “power and strength-focused training” more commonly prescribed in today’s game. comparison with the past.
“Before, starting pitchers did endurance runs, and now we’re into power training, short bursts, sprint-type training, and that’s changed,” one athletic trainer said. “It’s okay to train for sudden bursts of power and what I would call anaerobic training. I always tell people that’s okay, but you need a base of aerobic capacity to do it…We do too much weight lifting, too much power lifting. short bursts. That’s where I think we’re going wrong.
Background: Research conducted within the study indicates that a pitcher’s injury history can be an indicator of future injuries. The study notes that as pitcher injuries continue to increase, and at younger ages, more and more players become susceptible to another injury as they rise through the amateur and professional ranks.
“Now we’re taking players out of the draft who have been pitching all year — our first-rounder had been pitching all year for 3 years,” said one MLB athletic trainer: “The wear and tear he’ll suffer won’t be that of his first season in the Major Leagues, but the three previous years.
Rule changes: The study was inconclusive regarding recent rule changes contributing to injuries, including the shot clock that was instituted before the 2023 season. The evidence, according to the study, points to it not being a factor. considering pitching injuries have been on the rise since the 1990s, while the pace of the game has slowed (before 2023). In fact, the slower pace may have contributed to more injuries, as pitchers essentially took their time throwing with maximum effort more frequently. That may not be happening as much with the shot clock. Additionally, the trend of DL placements early in the season or in spring training suggests that the shot clock has little to do with injuries, according to the study.
COVID: Experts who participated in the study believe the COVID-shortened 2020 season may have had a lasting impact on pitchers. That season’s “unusual” training routines may have contributed to increased injury concerns over the past three seasons. The study suggests that more research is needed to fully understand the impact.
Surgical advances: Although medical advances have allowed some players to return to the mound in as good condition as ever, the study found that “incorrect perceptions” of surgery can give players a false sense of security. In other words, pitchers may be more willing to risk an injury knowing that they can always recover from it and still earn a major league salary and service time while on the disabled list.
“They have so much faith in the Tommy John procedure that they are willing to sacrifice their own elbow knowing that if they end up tearing it, they can repair it,” said one orthopedic surgeon. “By the way, with the new procedures that are being carried out, telling them that they can recover in half the time with this internal splint phenomenon, does not help at all with the relationship that pitchers have in their own mind about suffering a injury.
“They don’t realize that 20% of those who make it don’t make it. They don’t know that. They think it’s worth it, that’s what I have to do to be an elite pitcher, which is throw 100 mph in every pitch or as hard as I can on every pitch, and take my chances, and if I get hurt, I’ll fix it.”
Amateur contributions: The study found that seeking speed and “something” at a younger age has also been a contributing factor to the increased number of injuries among young people. Not surprisingly, the study also found that year-round training and early sports specialization are contributing factors.
“The speed continues to increase, guys are getting bigger and stronger. As they get stronger, their ligaments don’t necessarily get stronger,” said one orthopedic surgeon. “I see a lot of kids. Some kids tear out the bone in their elbow because their growth plate is weaker than the ligament. Instead of the ligament failing, the bone breaks. That used to happen occasionally, but now it’s happening more and more “.
According to the study, the transfer portal at the university has been considered a contributing factor. Schools can have young people in their programs for short periods of time, leading to maximizing their performance during that period rather than developing them over several years.
CONCLUSIONS
Although more study is needed on the topic, according to the report, the league understands that creating a system in which pitchers are “encouraged or required to moderate their activity and throw with a submaximal effort to go further in games may be better for the pitcher’s health.
Some experts suggest changes to the rules of the game or rosters to implement changes in training habits. For example, if there was an incentive for a player or team to have a starting pitcher last longer in a game, he or she might train differently — perhaps without going all out on every pitch.
Shorter pitching staffs would inherently require starters and relievers to pitch more time in games, which again could change pitching habits, which could trickle down to the amateur levels. A limit on the number of transactions a club can make could be another way to force pitchers on the roster to adjust their training habits.
The overall goal, according to the study, is a system that “increases the value of the thrower’s health and durability and decreases the value of short-duration, maximum-effort throwing.”
