MLB Tommy Johns Syndrome?

[BourneofDarkness15]

Kinda freaky to see how many pitchers the last few years have needed Tommy Johns Surgery the number this year already is staggering. My question to you all, do you think there's anything MLB can do about this to prevent this number of injuries or is it just part of the game?

 

[BJBirdy]

Kinda freaky to see how many pitchers the last few years have needed Tommy Johns Surgery the number this year already is staggering. My question to you all, do you think there's anything MLB can do about this to prevent this number of injuries or is it just part of the game?

We're having a really awesome discussion about this on Twitter right now. Pretty much, I think the answer is that pitchers shouldn't lift weights and train more like a boxer does. In addition, I really think pitchers need to throw more, not less.

It's really crazy how we've come so far along when it comes to training and conditioning, yet there just doesn't seem to be an established method when it comes to developing pitchers.

 

[BourneofDarkness15]

I'll agree on that, training is key, tweaking their training may help for sure. I just find it so freaky how many have happened so quickly this season and we're what a quarter of the way through?

 

[EdgeHeadNotMerged]

I'm no pitching expert since I've never been a pitcher during my short 3-year little league career but isn't it possible that all of those Tommy John issues coming up is perhaps because those guys' arms were maybe overprotected so-to-speak....I mean...if you look at the pitchers in the 60's-70's-80's, we're talking about durable pitchers who were delivering solid outings on a consistent basis and you'd rarely hear about arm or elbow issues with them. So the question might be; who's to blame? Little league coaches? Farm systems? Pitching coaches? Training staff? Who?

 

[willge87]

I'm no pitching expert since I've never been a pitcher during my short 3-year little league career but isn't it possible that all of those Tommy John issues coming up is perhaps because those guys' arms were maybe overprotected so-to-speak....I mean...if you look at the pitchers in the 60's-70's-80's, we're talking about durable pitchers who were delivering solid outings on a consistent basis and you'd rarely hear about arm or elbow issues with them. So the question might be; who's to blame? Little league coaches? Farm systems? Pitching coaches? Training staff? Who?

Ah, so the coddling and overprotection is causing one's arms to be weak and thus causing the increase in needed surgeries? An interesting theory.

What about the idea of specialization? I've read that kids these days start out with a particular position on the field and they stay there, they don't move. So a kid starts pitching only at an earlier age and maybe increases the strain on arm?

 

[EdgeHeadNotMerged]

That's something that's very plausible. As a kid, I remember that in every team in our league, the pitchers played many positions, mostly in the infield, and they were the best athletes on each team's roster and that was on every level. I don't know how really that has changed since then (still almost 20 years ago) but I think that as much as you have to take precautions at an early level with a pitcher's arm, you also need to test his durability and increase it as the pitcher gets older. Pitchers also need to be wiser I think. It seems like most are looking to throw those fastball heaters but yet, a good slider, changeup or curveball will be weapons of massive destruction if you can master them early, thus, preserving your arm for a longer period of time.