INJURIES EXPLAINED

by Holly Horning

On Tuesday, we addressed the latest study about the increase in pitcher (esp. starting pitcher) injuries.  In case you missed it, here it is:

PUTTING IT ALL INTO CONTEXT

Today, let’s tackle the long-standing concern over the increase in pitchers having surgery, esp. Tommy John.  (A shout out to those of you who asked that this topic be covered.  I encourage anyone who’d like to see a specific topic addressed to submit a request.)

We’ve all seen it.  The increasing number of pitchers having surgery.  And it’s not just the Tigers, it’s with every team out there.

However, equating all this surgery by comparing it to the past will not put the latest trends into the proper context.  All the stories about how pitchers from 50-70 years ago never had those problems.  That today’s pitchers are weenies in comparison.

Or that today’s pitching coaches are responsible.  Too many Tiger fans are actually blaming Chris Fetter for all the team’s pitcher injuries.

There’s not just 1 factor involved in the increase in surgeries.  There are many but some are bigger factors than others.  The problem is that baseball has not done a comprehensive study about the impact from a number of factors.  But science and medicine has given us some clues.

What everyone can agree upon is that the climb in velocity is a significant factor in the rise of surgeries.  And it makes sense:  the harder you throw and the harder you push yourself creates more stress and strain on the arm.  And that will make you more susceptible to injury.

Pitchers throw much harder today than they did in earlier generations.  And they have an incentive to do so.  The harder you throw, the more teams that are interested in you.  Oh, and the more money you will make.

Part of throwing harder is the emphasis on spin rate which benefits the pitcher by making pitches hard to detect by batters.  Additionally, there is that push to rack up strikeouts instead of pitching to contact.  Being a strikeout artist will also earn you a bigger and better contract.

Then there are the ever-evolving factors.  MLB has been changing baseball construction for the past 4-5 years.  One year, not even telling players that it was done.  Balls have now varied from being constructed to create more distance to being deadened.

And that brings us to how these different baseballs are being gripped.  A harder ball is more difficult to grip and an attempt to gain more control over it can impact the pitching arm.  Many pitchers, including Justin Verlander, spoke up about the changes and how it could negatively impact the health of pitchers.

In an attempt to control the ball more, many pitchers turned to sticky stuff like Spyder Tack until it was banned.  They’re still doing it now with other ingredients although rosin is only supposed to be used.  But tell that to Max Scherzer who had such sticky stuff the other week that umpires’ fingers became so glued together that even an alcohol wash had a hard time separating them.

Sticky stuff has also been a factor in pitchers who have wanted to increase their velocity and spin rates, all to become more effective and dominant.  Oh, and to get those bigger and better contracts.

Those baseballs and foreign substances have changed how a pitcher grips and throws a baseball, creating more stress on the arm.

But now we turn to what is probably the biggest factor in why there is an increasing number of TJ surgeries.

And it happens well before pitchers know they want to earn a living playing baseball.

It’s the formative years:  pre-teen and teen.

For the last 15-20 years, teen baseball has become a very big business.  Long gone are the days when kids got together for a game.  Today, everything is organized and intentional.

Schools have ramped up their baseball programs.  Kids are now playing much of the year, even during the winter with structured workouts.

And then there are the infamous travel teams.  Top talent that practices and plays most of the year.  Intense workouts and games.  It’s not unusual for travel teams to play 2-3 games each weekend day.  Your kid could be playing 6 games over a Saturday and Sunday.

For those long-time readers, you’ll remember that I’m on an 80-year plan of renovating my house.  I’ve had a long-term contractor who has been with me for years.  (In fact, so long that we’ve filed adoption papers.)

I’ve known his son since he was 6.  He is now 14 and has been on a travel team for 3 years.  And he’s an elite pitcher.

His dad shares all the stories, pictures and videos of his son pitching.  And almost every single night is filled with something baseball-related scheduled by the team.  On weekends, they are traveling to play anywhere from 2- 6 games in 2 days.  (And if you’re curious, the son loves baseball and truly wants to do this.)

This kid is already throwing in the mid-high 70+ MPH range.  A couple of his teammates, who are 1-2 years older, are throwing in the 80+MPH.

And they’re in middle school or their freshman year of high school.

My contractor is the first to admit that the travel team coaches aren’t interested in preserving the arms of their pitchers.  It’s not unusual for one to throw over 100 pitches – or to pitch 2 days in a row.

These coaches aren’t going to see these kids after they graduate from high school.  They simply want to win.  Young pitchers are the collateral damage.

And this is the major reason why pitchers at the MLB level are having an increasing number of TJ surgeries.  By the time they are drafted, they already have a lot of mileage on their arms.  Some maybe more than decade before they even get drafted.

If you think that most TJ surgeries happen to players when they are playing in professional baseball, you’d be wrong.  Over 60% of all those surgeries happen between the ages of 15-19. And since 2000, there’s been a 10-fold increase.

These surgeries are linked to kids who specialize in 1 sport and play it most of the year.  Combine that with the knowledge that young arms are not yet fully developed and the stress put on them can tax them more fully than the arms of older players.  It’s much easier to damage your arm when you’re young.  That damage can then show up years later.

This also means that the vast majority of arm damage at the MLB level doesn’t happen quickly.  It happens because years of overuse at younger ages has finally caught up with the player.  The MLB pitching coaches (at least most of them) are innocent.

We’re at the point where we’re seeing pitchers drafted and signed by MLB teams who have already had TJ surgery even before they throw a single pitch at the professional level. Like Tarik Skubal. 

The surgery is being labeled as an epidemic.

How will this end?  How will things change?

That’s a tough one to answer.  As long as there is big money to be made in travel team sports and families who see this venue as a way to advance their child and enhance their attractiveness to professional scouts – not to mention receiving substantial college scholarships – it will continue.

But 1 thing MLB teams are doing is hiring professionals who are trained in kinesiology and other specialties that focus on the body and efficient motion.  Like the Tigers have finally done by hiring Dr. Robin Lund as an assistant pitching coach who can determine if a pitcher’s form is creating undue stress or making him susceptible to injury.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t work with each pitcher early enough.  But he can see where the problems are and what needs to be done to correct form in order to help prevent injuries.

He just may be the Tigers’ most valuable coach.

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