As baseball season approaches, once again pitchers are starting to drop like flies.
This article shows why…they are throwing much harder than before. And they are getting hurt like never before.
As much as I love the 100-mph fastball, it’s clearly not healthy. And something has to change.
Baseball needs rules that encourage movement over speed. And it starts with this one:
It’s time to legalize doctored baseballs.
The only reason they were illegalized in the first place over 100 years ago, was because fielders hated picking up a ball covered in spit. Go back and read up on it.
Thing is, you don’t have to legalize spit. Just everything else.
Scuff it. Use K-Y jelly. Heck, use rosin from the rosin bag. It all has the same effect.
But it will also do something else: emphasize movement over speed. And that could reduce the health care bills of MLB.
Instead of pitchers trying to throw harder, they can learn tricks to increase movement. The strikeouts will be there, but the injuries won’t be.
Think of all the money spent on things like ‘Tommy John surgery’. Isn’t that a waste?
And how much of a waste is it to have to pay pitchers to sit on the shelf with blown out elbows?
We can begin reducing this tomorrow morning, with this simple change.
How about making pitchers fit to pitch? Pitch counts and extra days of rest between starts is why they get hurt so often now.
It’s the same as training for a marathon by running a few miles a week. Back before so many injuries were rampant, guys used to throw a LOT more and built their arms up.
I personally like seeing a good curveball or slider more than a simple fastball (Nolan Ryan was awesome though). There’s so many ways to throw an effective strike other than with sheer speed.
Will that stop making them throw 100mph fast balls?
Lets say you’re right. It works. If you think there are a lot of strikeouts now, times it by 10. You get a lot of movement on a ball that’s scuffed. Ever play whiffle ball? Scuffing is encouraged. You’re lucky to bat over .200 trying to hit that thing.
Finally, unless you’re a knuckleball pitcher, I don’t think throwing for movement will save their arms. Why? Because while the ball isn’t moving as fast, you’re still putting the same amount of strain on the arm. Curve balls just don’t move at the same speed.
I don’t think it’s just about getting hurt. The uptick in surgeries we see are seeing has a lot to with successful outcomes of those surgeries. Tommy John’s surgery was once in a while now it’s that many more pitchers. It’s pitchers going for longevity in speed and strength.
You said it better than I did, and in fewer words. I grew up in the 70s and 80s. We had nothing to do but play sports. I pitched 3 different type balls from 11 years old to 26. Regularly. I have damage to my right arm, shoulder, and behind my right shoulder. Nothing serious, but after 26 years old, pitching simply wasn’t an option.
Pitches with movement have more wind drag, they’re going to go slower. But the same energy is used on every pitch. Even a changeup. I’m throwing it like the fastest pitch I ever threw.
So you are going to sit there with a straight face and tell me throwing a scuff ball is the same as throwing a curve ball, or a slider?
Here’s how it works: where the scuff is placed in your hand determines where the ball is thrown. You throw it with the same delivery as you would a basic fastball, but you don’t have to put nearly the same effort into velocity when you have that kind of movement. That means less torque on your arm, which saves pitchers arms.
It’s past time to get rid of these stupid rules, for the sake of player safety.
No, but it will open up options so players don’t have to put that kind of torque on their arms throwing 100 mph does.
If you give a pitcher a choice between throwing super hard for a shorter career, and throwing for movement and pitching into their 40’s as a result, what do you think they will choose?
If pitchers hurt their arms then either
a.) Let them, or
b.) Set a max pitch count.
(It works in Little league and works in HS)
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If we change the game at all it should be to add some more offense. (MLB is always considering ways to do this.)
IOW if we innovate the game at all, it should be to give advantage to the batters (more hits.)
Ideas include:
1.) Lower the pitchers mound even more, and
2.) Extend the batter’s box. Make the catcher set 5’ further back. This way when runners are on base, the pitcher has to throw strikes.
No. A scuff allows for more movement. Depending on what ball you are using, it can be extreme. Like I said, I’m just going by myself. I put the same effort into every pitch, fastball or not.
