Pitchers Days Lost to Elbow Injuries

[LAAMike]

Great discussion on MLB Network stating that pitcher's elbow injuries went from just over 3,000 days lost in 2011 to over 8,000 days lost in 2014, costing over $300 million of pitchers salaries for lost days. Talk of going to 6 man rotations to give pitchers(especially the younger ones) the extra day of rest. With the tremendous investment that teams put in SP, it is something to consider.

[Dick B Back]

They could always go back to the 300 innings per year thing. There didn't seem to be as many of these type issues back in the day

[ABC]

What is the cause of the injuries? Going to a six-man rotation may be treating the symptom.

[sneaky_flute]

poor mechanics, increased fastball speeds, being little bitches

[Dick B Back]

Nolan Ryan had what one my call decent fast ball speed and it didn't seem like an issue for him.

[Hollyw00d]

there's only one Nolan ryan, people need to quit making that comparison

 

sandy Koufax threw over 300 innings almost every year he pitched.  there's a reason why he only had a 5 year career

[Stradling]

The guy who likes trannies is calling other people "little bitches", adorable.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Stradling

[ABC]

there's only one Nolan ryan, people need to quit making that comparison

 

sandy Koufax threw over 300 innings almost every year he pitched.  there's a reason why he only had a 5 year career

 

Why can't everyone be Usain Bolt fast? He did it.

Edited April 30, 2015 by CF8

[ABC]

The guy who likes trannies is calling other people "little bitches", adorable.

 

He might like the dodger thread.

[fan_since79]

How did CY Young manage to pitch 749 complete games injury-free?

 

Yeah, I know, overhand fastballs. Well, Bartolo Colon throws nothing but fastballs and he's doing pretty well at the age of 41. Maybe pitchers need to simplify things a bit.

[tomsred]

poor mechanics, increased fastball speeds, being little bitches

 

...,no accountability partners.

[LAAMike]

The unions would love it if rosters increased by one or two players to accommodate the sixth starter. Adding 1 to 2 million to each club's salaries would not be much of a problem with the TV money rolling in. I like the concept of forcing teams to go with younger cost controlled pitchers which would result in more hitting and runs scored possibly offset by the extra strength that a well rested pitcher would bring. An annual inning's limit would bring a whole new strategic element to baseball.

[Dick B Back]

there's only one Nolan ryan, people need to quit making that comparison

sandy Koufax threw over 300 innings almost every year he pitched. there's a reason why he only had a 5 year career

Koufax had arthritis in his pitching elbow, no ligament issues.

Ok, throw out Ryan if you like. How 'bout Perry, Seaver, Sutton, Carlton, Blyleven... throwing 275 or more innings per year for years. Its not like Ryan was outside the norm throwing those kind of innings and lasting into their 40s with no major ligament issues.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Dick B Back

[Hollyw00d]

so every pitcher should be like HOF pitchers.

 

k

[Dick B Back]

Why do I waste my time...

[Stradling]

No idea

[Hollyw00d]

I don't know either

[mp170.6]

The unions would love it if rosters increased by one or two players to accommodate the sixth starter. Adding 1 to 2 million to each club's salaries would not be much of a problem with the TV money rolling in. I like the concept of forcing teams to go with younger cost controlled pitchers which would result in more hitting and runs scored possibly offset by the extra strength that a well rested pitcher would bring. An annual inning's limit would bring a whole new strategic element to baseball.

 

Adding a sixth starter would reduce the number of starts for the existing starters, by five or six starts each.  That would point to a salary reduction for starting pitchers over the long-term.

[ABC]

Koufax had arthritis in his pitching elbow, no ligament issues.

Ok, throw out Ryan if you like. How 'bout Perry, Seaver, Sutton, Carlton, Blyleven... throwing 275 or more innings per year for years. Its not like Ryan was outside the norm throwing those kind of innings and lasting into their 40s with no major ligament issues.

 

The unknown is if these pitchers would be consistent workhorses pitching in today's game with today's pitches.

[Angel Oracle]

We do know that Ryan tried to change how the Rangers pitchers were developed/handled, increasing their pitch counts.

Were the results mainly inconclusive?

[Hollyw00d]

judging by how many pitching injuries the rangers have had the past few years, I would say it was a massive failure

[Inside Pitch]

Great discussion on MLB Network stating that pitcher's elbow injuries went from just over 3,000 days lost in 2011 to over 8,000 days lost in 2014, costing over $300 million of pitchers salaries for lost days. Talk of going to 6 man rotations to give pitchers(especially the younger ones) the extra day of rest. With the tremendous investment that teams put in SP, it is something to consider.

 

Raise the mound, stop throwing sliders, limit pitch totals to guys under 25 to no more than 180 innings.  Nobody threw a slider until they lowered the mound, when they did and pitches needed to create sink, they started throwing sliders -- injuries spiked dramatically.   The list of pitchers who topped the 200 IP barrier before age 25 and ended up injured or had their careers cut short is significantly longer than the one of guys who had physically matured and slowly worked their way up to 200 innings.

 

They will never raise the mound because that might lead to less offense.  They won't outlaw a pitch, and teams have already shown they will ride a young arm as long and as hard as they possibly can.

 

So thank God for TJ surgery.   Now they need to find out how to fix shoulders than have blown out.

[sneaky_flute]

judging by how many pitching injuries the rangers have had the past few years, I would say it was a massive failure

None of the Ranger pitchers have been injured due to increased pitch counts or pitching deeper into games. 

[Dick B Back]

The unknown is if these pitchers would be consistent workhorses pitching in today's game with today's pitches.

 

Today's game and today's pitches are not the problem.  Overuse and not giving the arm a chance to rest is one of the major problems for adolescent pitchers.  Unfortunately, the problem created at a young age sometimes does not show up until the pitcher is in his 20s and playing professionally.  Here is a blurb from Dr. James Andrews and the American Sports Medicine Institute. The entire article can be found here and its a good read:

 

http://www.asmi.org/research.php?page=research&section=TJpositionstatement

 

 

EPIDEMIC

During the past few years there has been an “epidemic” rise in the number of professional pitchers requiring ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction ("Tommy John surgery").  This is like déjà vu, as a similar sharp rise was seen in adolescent pitchers near the turn of the century.  These two rises are indeed connected; that is, today's pro pitcher in his 20’s was an adolescent pitcher a dozen years ago.  Thus in many cases, the injury leading to Tommy John surgery in today's young pro pitchers actually began while they were adolescent amateurs.  Observations by orthopaedic surgeons support this link, as the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in a pro pitcher usually looks like it has worn out over time.

RISK FACTORS FOR ADOLESCENT PITCHERS

Research has shown that the amount of competitive pitching and pitching while fatigued are strongly linked to injury. Other risk factors may include pitching on multiple teams, pitching year-round, playing catcher when not pitching poor pitching mechanics,and poor physical conditioning. 

[Dick B Back]

Next up on the Tommy John list:

Homer Bailey