MLB Pitcher Injuries Are Rising, From Throwing Way Too Fast

Figuring out a cause for the skyrocketing number of arm injuries among pitchers is easy. Finding a solution could prove more challenging. Major League Baseball issued a 62-page report in December showing how the focus on throwing with increased velocity and using maximum effort on every pitch was a likely reason for the injury spike. Solutions may prove challenging, per the AP.

• Stats: The study showed that the pitchers' injured list increased from 212 placements in 2005 to 485 in 2024. Days on the IL rose from 13,666 to 32,257. Tommy John surgeries for major and minor league players increased from 104 in 2010 to a peak of 314 in 2020, though they slipped to 281 last year.

• Greener players: Perhaps most concerning were stats involving younger pitchers. Prospects who threw 95mph or higher at the Perfect Game National Showcase for top high school players increased from three in 2018 to 36 in 2024. Thirty-five players selected in the top 10 rounds of last year's amateur draft had Tommy John surgery, up from four in 2005.
• Worrisome: Eric Cressey, who trains pros through his Cressey Sports Performance facilities, notes videos he sees of young pitchers with "arms and legs flying everywhere" as they enter throwing programs when their bodies aren't prepared to handle it. "Thirteen-year-olds should never be blowing out ligaments," he says.
• Rest time? Cressey recommends a scouting dead period for October, November, and December. "It's absurd for us to ask a still immature 17-year-old to go out and throw 95mph in November when major league players are resting during that time period," he says.
• Challenges: Some want a return to "old-school" pitching, but it may be tricky to make sure those recommendations are followed, particularly when pitching prospects believe velocity is what's going to make an impression on scouts. "It's hard to close Pandora's box," Cressey says. "A lot of these kids who are 25 and blowing out in the big leagues, they were kids who were doing a lot of things incorrectly in their teenage years, and now they're just bigger, stronger, and are in higher-pressure situations."
• Suggestion: The study recommends "considering rule changes at the professional level that shift the incentives for clubs and pitchers to prioritize health and longevity." More here.

(More MLB stories.)