Injury Epidemic Amongst Baseball Pitchers

Injury Epidemic Amongst Baseball Pitchers

There continues to be an injury epidemic amongst baseball pitchers at the highest level (MLB) and youth recreational players. There is an obsession with throwing hard and lighting up the radar gun, and for good reason. MPH is a recruitable stat for scholarship seekers. However, new metrics show that it is not necessarily throwing hard that predicts success but rather it’s about varying speed, pitch spin velocities (movement) and location. All of us who grew up watching Greg Maddux pitch already knew that. Also, Tom Seaver points out that guys are trying to throw so hard that they are becoming arm dominant which has lead to injuries never even heard of in his day. I love that Seaver says he never worked his upper body, only his legs. Any good golfer can tell you that power comes from the hips and core, and the hands only follow. I think youth pitchers could learn a lot from that. Final thoughts: Throw with your core, go easy on your arm, don’t obsess over speed, learn to pitch by varying speeds and location. It was good enough for Greg Maddux.

Author

Brad Carofino, MD Dr. Brad Carofino is a board-certified (American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery), fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder & upper extremity surgery. Dr. Carofino is an expert in shoulder replacement surgery, minimally invasive arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and complex reconstructive procedures of the upper extremity.