MLB's new pitcher injury study shows the league has a huge problem on its hands

Major League Baseball released 62 pages of findings from a yearlong study of pitching injuries, and identified chasing higher velocities and exerting maximum effort on every pitch as two of the primary causes of the sudden increase in arm issues in the big leagues.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers detailed the report, which broke down the number of injuries and traces possible causes. It concluded that the primary cause of many pitchers' issues was chasing higher velocity, which puts more strain on the arm, while also exerting maximum effort on every pitch due to the shorter workload involved in the modern game.

In particular, the league expressed concern about pitchers overworking themselves in the offseason in an effort to chase faster, better stuff; in other words, working to throw harder and with more movement on every single pitch than they were before.

"We understand throwing harder increases your injury risk," a pitching coach said. "That's true at a population level. Now for the overwhelming majority of human beings on Earth who aspire to play baseball at a serious level, that trade-off is worth it."

It also noted things like a lack of preparation for major league workloads prior to arriving in the big leagues, and noted an anecdotal concern in a shift in focus in training from aerobic to anaerobic exercise, which increases strength without boosting muscle stamina.

In other words, MLB has a problem, but unlike others, there's not a quick and easy fix to this.

We're not talking about shortening games (which the study was inconclusive on the impacts of); we're talking about one of the fundamental tenets of the modern game. How do you disincentivize pitchers from giving maximum effort all the time, particularly when doing so risks giving up runs or hits and costing your team? Every possible solution to the problem creates other potential problems along with it, while also potentially undermining the flow of the game that the league is concerned about.

Could you mandate starting pitchers stay in the game for a certain amount of time, forcing them to manage their effort from pitch to pitch? Sure, but what if that pitcher gets hammered in their first inning, a thing that happens pretty regularly? And does it really fix the problem?

Do you implement stricter, more stringent rules about how a pitcher is pitching in a game? Maybe, but that veers into dangerous territory, and also feels unlikely to solve anything.

Do you emphasize that young, pre-MLB players need to take breaks and do things other than pitch, pushing to do away with year-long sport calendars and showcases? That would be a great idea in theory, but MLB lacks the level of oversight to do it, and good luck trying to get these organizations to give up their cash cow events, or these trainers from pushing kids into programs that put more stress on their arms.

Do you cap the number of pitchers teams can carry? Over the long term, that seems like the right plan, because it would force players to learn to pitch without max effort, reducing the stress on their arms even if the workload increases. But over the short term? You can expect an uptick in injuries as the max effort guys try and learn how to function when there's less help behind them.

In other words, baseball finds itself with a problem that lacks a perfect solution, one they can't simply legislate their way out of. It's going to take time, effort, and a collective commitment to change if MLB wants to help protect pitchers, and it's not clear at this stage whether they're actually able to do that.

MORE TOP STORIES From the Big Lead
CFB: Your ultimate guide to all 12 CFP teams
NBA: Klay revels in win at Golden State
NFL: Jerod Mayo looking overmatched as NE HC
NBA/SPORTS MEDIA: Taylor Rooks to host Amazon’s studio show

Home/MLB