MLB owners and the Players’ Association are at war with each other over a number of concerns. The latest is the significantly higher number of pitchers requiring surgery on their arms and elbows.
The MLBPA is focused on the pitch clock but experts (the surgeons) say that increased velocity and a significant increase in using dramatic breaking pitches like the sweeper are really the main catalysts.
The catch-22 is that pitchers realize they won’t make a roster unless they throw hard and strike out a lot of batters. Therefore, they are always looking to increase how hard they throw and how much spin and break they can get on their pitches. So they are willing to put careers ahead of health.
As a result, they are throwing each pitch with maximum effort. Especially since hitters have evolved and have learned to hit to the opposite field. This is what the modern game is like today.
If they choose to protect their arm by throwing less hard or less often, their value to a team goes down. They get paid less and have shorter contracts.
Teams want and value higher performance. They are willing to accept more health risks. Durable pitchers who stay around a long time because they prioritize “pitching” instead of “throwing” are becoming less prominent.
Players now understand that the best and fastest way to break into the majors is through showing velocity and spin almost all the time.
Given all of this, which is more important to you? Top performance or durability?
Do you want a pitcher who throws hard and shuts down the opposition but is likely to lose app. 2 years due to elbow surgery at some point?
Or do you want a pitcher who is going to be more durable because he doesn’t throw as hard and doesn’t have pitches that move as dramatically? He’s also going to be more hittable.
Today’s blog addresses this question and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!
For this one blog only, you’ve got 6 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can also respond to other readers.
TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.
Ready?
Make sure to come back and check the final results!
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Give me the durable healthy guy as this will always hold true for me: your best ability is availability.
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Longevity seems to be the most important factor. A baseball season is long and grueling and if you’re out of pitchers half or three quarters of the way because of arm troubles you are in trouble. Maybe coaching the pitchers to spin or use their high velocity for like the 3rd strike but not every pitch. If they are wanting to be aggressive then the first or second pitch. As far as the pitch clock these games are getting finished very quickly. It could be the pitching arm hasn’t had time to recover between pitches.
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They surgeons have debunked the pitch clock as the cause of the TJ surgeries. The say it isas Holly points out, velocity and torque put on the elbow from the fast ball as well as the Sweeper and Curveballs.
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Here’s why top velocity and spin wins out. MLB took away the shift, runs went up. Owners now counter with demanding more Ks to limit balls in play. Faster pitches with more movement are harder to hit. Unless kids stop playing baseball, there will always be pitchers coming up that will be willing to risk their arm to make it to The Show. A key trait in scouting is durability and now with the greater demands being placed on arms, the only pitchers that will succeed and sustain will be the most durable.
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The Players Union is being disingenuous. Certainly the pitch clock does not contribute to health, but there are many potential causes for that tiny ulnar collateral ligament to shred in young pitchers. Scott Harris and his tribe promote pitchers with velocity and mind-blowing spin rates. Players union members enjoy the bounty from attaining velocities that human evolution did not prepare for the elbow. Neither party is prepared to take the radical steps that are probably necessary to really doing anything about it. I do not anticipate the return of the “junk ball” pitcher anytime soon
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Hi, lcb (and everyone else) – You single out Harris and his crew for promoting velocity and spin but in reality it is every single team in MLB that does this. Every team is guilty. As an example, out of the 25 hardest throwing pitchers currently, there are 20 different teams represented. Of note is that no Tiger pitcher made that list. – Holly
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Of course Harris is part of a larger pattern. He and his fellows have partially solved the injury issue by signing veteran pitchers A) who already had TJS and B) to short contracts. Of course they protect the health of their young throwers but I guarantee Fetter & Co. are not teaching lower velocity pitchers the knuckleball. This drives the players nuts so they set up the straw man of the pitch count to express their fear the nasty combination of lower salaries and fewer big-money pay-days.
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The TJ surgeons have also discounted the number of pitches thrown as a cause of these injuries. They point to the pitchers of yesteryear that would through well over 100 pitches per game. It isn’t the number of pitches as much as it is the velocity and torque and spin rate that causes the injuries. Yesteryear pitchers didn’t throw 95-100 mph with high spin rates and movement.
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it is the velocity plus the pitch count. The velocity plus maximum spin rates make them unable to pitch to higher counts is the way I understand it.
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I believe that it may be the end of the concept of starting pitchers. I think max effort every pitch is just too much for more than a couple innings. Every game as a “bullpen game” would be hard to hit and would keep the contracts for pitchers down.
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Hitting is about timing; therefore, pitching is about disrupting timing. I prefer a starter with great control who pitches in, out, up, and down at different speeds. Let the one or two inning reliever max out.
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several of the best pitchers that I saw growing up were not flamethrower _ Warren Spahn and Whitey Ford and then came Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine it is about keeping the hitter off balance by the way your premise misses a major change __ the pitching machine and hitters being able to use it during a game start with outlawing that!
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Greg Maddox’s ‘fastball’ was in the high 80s mph. He pitched on location, changing speeds, and knowing how to fool each hitter.
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I think the main contributing factor was when the owners, in their usual short sightedness, juiced the ball up to get more HR’s back in the Steroids Era. Pitchers had to go for strikeouts because any contact would result in a much harder hit ball. The pitchers thinking changed from How do we (team) get the batter out, to How can I strike the batter out? Thus began the journey down the road to more frequent and more severe arm problems where we are today. Maximum velocity with maximum spin rate for six innings = Torn UCL’s IMHO.
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One name to debunk the groupthink going on in MLB front offices. Frank Tanana. If you’re my age you will be able to compare his early years to his later years. I will gladly take that kind of pitcher (his later years) all day.
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Although a different time frame, John Smotlz had a similar path as to how he approached becoming a reliever instead of a fire-balling starter.
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Yes. That division clinching game against Toronto in 1987 was a thing of beauty.
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As I was reading this article, Frank Tanana’s name came to mind. He started out as a hard throwing pitcher until arm injuries cut his velocity. He then reinvented himself by utilizing off speed pitches with varying locations to completely fool hitters. It was so much fun watching him put on a pitching clinic! I think today’s pitchers should go back and watch video of him to learn that you dont have to throw every pitch 100mph.
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I voted for less velocity/more durability. In an interview, Michael Lewis (author of “Moneyball”) noted that Barry Zito was frowned upon by San Diego because he didn’t throw hard enough. Zito ended up pitching for the Oakland Athletics and winning the Cy Young Award and going to the All-Star game several times. Zito’s fastball ranged from 84 to 88 miles per hour. Give me durability and deception over speed and sizzle.
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IMHO the elephant in the room is torque. I remember seeing Joel Zumaya blow out his elbow and how it looked after, a victim of torque. Some appear to be able to spin without as much strain or torque and unnatural movements. Olson is a good example of allowing natural spin without extreme torque. Isn’t it somewhat odd that we don’t hear of alot of sweepers on the Tigers staff. Also Garko controls his pitchers in the minors with strict pitch counts and a natural increase in innings and velo. Also IMHO, I believe that Gilbin and crew and Lund and associates are responsible for preparing pitchers to remain injury free.
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