November 22, 2024 • 25 mins
In this episode, we dive deep into the alarming rise in season-ending injuries among MLB pitchers over the decades and explore the solutions that could transform the game. From UCL tears to rotator cuff injuries, the data shows a staggering increase in disabled list stints from the 1970s to today. What’s causing this epidemic, and how can it be reversed? We’ll cover improper pitching mechanics, modern training methods, and the impact of velocity-driven strategies. Featuring insights from biomechanics research and industry experts, this episode offers a roadmap for improving pitcher health and performance.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Historical Trends: A look at how the rate of season-ending injuries has grown from the 1970s to the present day.
- The Mechanics Behind the Injuries: Identifying warning signs in pitching delivery, including forearm flyouts, inconsistent release points, and improper follow-throughs.
- The Role of Spin-to-Velocity Ratios (SVR): How the push for higher velocities has increased injury risks.
- Training Innovations: The rise of weighted ball programs, strength training, and biomechanical assessments in injury prevention.
- Lessons from the Greats: Why legendary pitchers like Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson avoided major injuries and how modern pitchers can replicate their success.
- Future Solutions: From advanced motion capture systems to mental conditioning, we discuss the tools MLB teams are using to protect their stars.
Key Takeaways for Listeners:
- Learn how poor pitching mechanics can lead to devastating injuries.
- Discover the six key indicators of injury risk in a pitcher's delivery.
- Understand the importance of integrating nutrition, mental training, and biomechanics into a pitcher’s regimen.
Featured Experts and Research:
- Dr. Glenn Fleisig, renowned biomechanist, on the science of pitching injuries.
- Case studies from MLB organizations utilizing cutting-edge injury prevention technology.
Call to Action:
Have thoughts on this topic? Share your opinions and experiences with us! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast for more deep dives into the world of baseball.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:02):
Major League baseball fans, get ready for a close up
look from the top step of thedugout. Welcome to the baseball
classics podcast covering anyseason from 1901 to the present.
We'll explore exciting pennantraces, dive head first,
analyzing and even doing somecomparisons that are bound to
(00:23):
settle an argument or start oneup. And now, here's your host,
Dean Patino,Hello again, everybody. Thanks
so much for tuning in tobaseball classics. Diamond cast,
so glad to be with you. Thanksagain for tuning in, we have a
great episode coming up for you,and I'm going to share some
(00:44):
numbers with you. They're goingto absolutely shock you as a
major league baseball fan, I'mgoing to show those in just a
moment, coming up at the toppart of this podcast. But first
I want to remind you, and ifyou're new to the baseball
classics diamond cast, then youneed to know about baseball
classics, real time diamondview. It's a free service that
(01:05):
has everything that's happeningin Major League Baseball every
single day. We give you thelatest updates baseball
classics.com/diamond, view thisreal time. Diamond view service
is our way of saying thank youto all the fans out there, all
the customers we've hadthroughout the decades of
(01:27):
baseball classics. It's a freeservice, no login, no email,
just go in and enjoy it.
Baseball classics.com/diamond,view. Now you might be asking
yourself, Dean, why should I goto baseball
classics.com/diamond, view whenI can head on over to to MLB
trade rumors, or mlb.com or anyof the other sites are out
(01:49):
there, and they're all fantasticsites. So I'm not ask you not to
go to those sites, but what I amtelling you what's different,
what's special, and why we'redoing this for you as a major
league baseball fan. We scourand find all the latest that's
happening in Major LeagueBaseball every morning, and we
(02:10):
put that those updates intobaseball classics.com/diamond,
view, so you won't find thisinformation in any one single
website, I 100% guarantee it. Sowe launched real time diamond
view several weeks ago, so it'sfairly new, but we know because
again, we're scouring, we haveto go to many different places
(02:33):
to find all of this information,and then we consolidate it, we
put it together in a reallygreat digestible format for you,
so it'll keep you up to date onthe latest and greatest in Major
League Baseball, so you don'thave to jump around to all the
different sites we have itthere. Now, if you want to dive
into some more content, we areadding more even more into
(02:55):
diamond view for you. Again,it's gonna be very well
organized, but certainly, youknow, feel free to, of course,
go out and we are fans ofmlb.com and and all the other
sites that are out there. Butagain, we want to take all this
and put it into one website foryou that has a great mobile
experience as well. So it's likegetting the Cliff Notes every
(03:16):
day. Now, we don't send an emailout about it, but maybe if we
get, you know, feedback, andenough people on our email list
want that we could send out anemail with this content every
day. So kind of think of it likea a digest that you get, but
again, you won't want to missout baseball
classics.com/diamond. View. NowI'll tell you what's really been
(03:37):
surprising. So we've been doingthis again for, you know, a
number of weeks, you know,certainly during the regular
season and during the regularseason, you get live score
updates, you get the schedules,you get the standards, you get
all that stuff as well. Butwhat's been really surprising to
me, running real time diamondview is the amount of
information that's happeningright now in the off season.
(04:01):
It's absolutely remarkable, andyou'll see that when you go to
baseball classics.com/diamond,view. And again, we have to
scour and it goes. We go tomultiple places, probably at
least half dozen, to get allthis information. But another
thing that makes it special isthat we include all the major
league baseball 2024, seasondata that we have, players and
(04:24):
pitchers that you can go, sort,filter, group it. You can look
at Team data. We put all that inthere, in time, in real time,
real time, diamond view. You'dhave to pay to get that anywhere
else. Because not only is itstats that you can look at. And
you know, from filtering,sorting it, grouping it. But we
(04:46):
also include the lefty, rightydata that you would have to pay
for anywhere else that you couldfind it. So we include that as a
free service for you. You'llhave a lot of fun looking
through it. We you, we score theplayers. There's Dean. Of
statistical categories, so youcould look at the players in all
kinds of different ways, be itthey in the batters or the
pitchers, all for the 2024seasons. So don't miss out
(05:11):
again. We score the players aswell. And actually what we did
for the first time is we notonly scored the players, which
we've been doing now for anumber of years at baseball
classics, but we projected who,who would be the MVP, the Cy
Young and the rookie of the yearbased on our scoring system. And
we call it diamond data, by theway. So you get access to the
(05:33):
2024, season of diamond data,and we projected five out of six
players that were going to winthose awards. Now, of course,
the MVP was a real simple one,right? I mean, we all knew that
Otani and judge were going towin for their respective
leagues, but rookie year wasn'tso easy for the American League,
(05:56):
and we nailed that, and wemissed out the Cy Young and the
American League Cy Youngwinners, we have Cleveland's
relief ace winning the Cy Young,but certainly school was very
close. He was well deserving ofit as well. We got Chris sale.
So anyway, this is reallyvaluable information, and we
generate all the baseballclassics player cards using all
(06:18):
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(07:05):
them all right. Now, let's getto it reversing season ending
pitcher injury rates. The rateat which pitchers are going down
to season ending injuries, hasbeen alarming over the past
several decades, we've all seenit. Fans of their teams on the
cusp of playing in the FallClassic are then heartbroken
(07:26):
when their store pitchersuddenly out for the season. Now
here's the numbers are going toreally shock you. This is raw
data showing the number of majorleague pitchers who have gone on
the DL that disabled this bydecade, starting from the 1970s
1970 to 79 500 to 780to 89 800 to 1090 to 99
(07:57):
1200 to 1500 so let's pausethere for just a moment. 1970 as
low as 500 to 1999 as high as1500 it has tripled over those
decades, and during thosedecades, they implemented the 15
day DL, they dropped the 21 DLand added the 60 day DL to help
(08:21):
out with this, but clearlythat's not the answer to this
problem. Alright, let's move onto the 2000s so two 2000 to 2009
2000 to 2500 DL, stints forpictures, 2010 to 2019 2500 to
3000 and then recently 2020, to2023, as high as 3500 now just
(08:47):
back in the 70s, we're at about500 now we're at 3500 and it's
just remarkable what's beenhappening. So the emphasis has
been on spin to velocity ratiofor pitchers, and that
significantly increased thestress on pitchers arms. The
(09:09):
quest for higher spin tovelocity ratio pitches is driven
by the desire to overpowerhitters and improve performance
metrics such as swingingstrikes. And of course, if you
look at any any stance forstrikeouts, dating back to the
70s up through today, you cansee the tremendous increase year
(09:31):
over year, decade, especially,decade over decade, compared to
prior to that, even at the yearthe picture 1968 it just pales
In comparison of what's beenhappening over the recent
decades. Now, higher velocitypitches, of course, generate
greater forces and torques inthe arm. I mean, we all know
what's happening to thesepitchers arms, particularly in
(09:53):
the elbow and the shoulder, andthe increased stress leads to
higher incidence of injury. Asthe tissues much must withstand
greater loads. So many trainingprograms now focus on increasing
a pitcher's velocity, oftenincorporating weighted ball
programs in a tense, straighttraining Well, these methods can
(10:15):
be effective in increasingvelocity. They also carry a risk
of injury, if not properlymanaged and balanced with
recovery. Those of you thatplayed baseball back in Little
League, high school, college,maybe minor leagues, perhaps, if
you're listening to say, evenpro ball, one of the things that
(10:36):
I did when I was playingcompetitive baseball in my 40s,
and I really didn't get my armstrength up in the in the
outfield, so I was takingweights, and I was just as if I
was throwing a baseball, likedoing that motion with heavy
weights. And that definitelyincreased the my ability to be
(10:57):
able to throw the ball farther,faster and harder from the
outfield in to the infield. Butof course, with that came some
shoulder problems for me andsome arm problems, nothing
really severe. I mean, not likeI was doing it for a long period
of time. It's just a fall leaguebut still, imagine what major
(11:18):
league baseball players aredoing throughout the entire
year, now, maybe not everysingle week and but most every
month, if not every month,putting all the pictures,
putting all that stress on theiron their arms. So here is a list
that's going to be familiar tothose of you listening for the
type of season ending pitcher,injuries, UCL tears, high
(11:44):
velocity pitches placesignificant stress on the UCL,
increasing the risk of thosetears. Rotator cuff injuries,
the force required to generatehigh velocity can lead to
strains and tears in the rotatorcuff muscles and tendons, and
then, last but not least, stressfactors. The bones in the arm,
(12:05):
particularly the humerus, candevelop stress factors from the
repeated high forces ofpitching. They all have one
element in common, attempting tothrow with high velocity. You
may remember back in the dayFrank Tana. Tana was a really
great pitcher, fastball pitcherwhen he first came up in the big
(12:28):
leagues, but then he had arminjuries, and he went to all the
slow curves and break pitchesand and wound up having a very
effective career, but he had toswitch over because, again, he
was strong with so much power,his arm, just couldn't do it
anymore. So many trainingprograms now focus on increasing
a pitcher's velocity, oftenincorporating weighted ball
(12:50):
programs and intense straighttraining. While these methods
can be effective in increasingvelocity, they also carry a risk
of injury, if not properlymanaged and balance with
recovery. So while some picturessuch as Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver,
Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson,among others, hurl of great
(13:12):
velocity for decades withoutsuffering a severe season ending
injury, while others haven'tbeen able to what's going on
with that. Why have those greatpictures that we know through
with so much power velocity, notsuffered many major injuries and
did it for a long period oftime? What happened to the other
(13:33):
guys? Why are they sufferingwith these season ending
injuries, one after another?
There's one answer to that, andit's poor mechanics. So improper
pitching mechanics cansignificantly increase the
likelihood of injury. Thisincludes issues such as arm
angle, and incorrect arm angleduring the pitching motion can
(13:56):
place undue stress on the elbowand shoulder. How many pictures
have you seen throw with armangles where you're like how
long can this guy keep throwingthe ball like that, as hard as
he does with that kind of an armangle? Stride length? This is
another issue. An overly long orshort stride can disrupt the
(14:17):
kinetic chain, leading to COVIDsensory movements and increased
injury risk,because, again, your strides too
long or too short, you got tomake up for it with your arm
follow through. Inadequatefollow through can cause abrupt
deceleration of the arm,stressing the shoulder and
(14:40):
elbow. Let's go back for amoment. Gibson Seaver, Ryan
Randy Johnson, how fluid werethese guys when they threw the
ball right when they pitched,they just looked like it was
just piece of cake. What aboutJim Palmer again? There's many
others like Greg Maddux, andthere's so many pitchers just
had this great. Motion, and whendid they go down to these
(15:01):
significant injuries? Sonaturally, even with perfect
mechanics, the repetitive natureof pitching can still lead to
wear and tear on the body. Ofcourse, the repetitive stress
from 1000s of pitches over aseason can cause micro trauma to
tissues, which without adequaterecovery, can accumulate and
(15:22):
result in significant injuries.
So why are pitchers addressingpoor mechanics to avoid
devastating injuries? So let'sget into the answer to that. And
there's several reasons why poorpitching mechanics persist among
major league baseball pitchers.
One significant factor is earlydevelopment and habits at the
(15:45):
youth level. Many coaches lackthe specialized knowledge to
teach proper pitching mechanics,leading to the development of
bad habits that persist intohigher levels of play.
Additionally, young pitchers whoexperience success despite poor
mechanics often continue usingthem due to early positive
reinforcement, making itdifficult to convince them to
(16:08):
change their approach later.
Another reason is the lack ofimmediate consequences. The
injuries resulting from poormechanics over often accumulate
over time, rather than causingimmediate issues. This delayed
onset can make it hard forpitchers to see the direct link
(16:31):
between their mechanics andeventual injuries. Furthermore,
if a pitcher is performing welland not experiencing any pain,
there is little incentive tochange, especially in high
stakes environments whereimmediate performance is
prioritized over long termhealth. Now, Major League
(16:53):
Baseball clubs employ a varietyof training methods to ensure
their pitching staff can avoidinjuries and maintain proper
mechanics. Advanced technology,such as high speed cameras and
motion capture systems, is usedto analyze a picture's mechanics
in detail. These systemsidentify flaws in a pitcher's
(17:13):
delivery that could increaseinjury risk. Additionally, teams
conduct biomechanicalassessments to understand each
pitcher's unique physicalattributes and movements,
helping to customize trainingprograms that address specific
needs. Based on theseassessments, trainers develop
personalized injury preventionprograms focused on correcting
(17:37):
mechanical issues, improvingflexibility and strengthening
muscles to support propermechanics, continuous monitoring
and reassessment ensure thatpitchers maintain proper
mechanics and adapt as needed.
All right, let's talk aboutwarning signs in a pitcher's
motion and delivery so MajorLeague Baseball owners and
(18:00):
general managers closely analyzea pitcher's mechanics to
identify potential Warning Signsthat may indicate a higher risk
of elbow injuries, includingthose that could lead to Tommy
John surgery. And here are thekey indicators that they look
for, inconsistent releaserelease points and elbow drag,
(18:22):
so a consistent release point iscrucial for both performance and
injury prevention. Variabilityin the release point can
indicate mechanical issues thatplace additional stress on the
elbow. Also watch for a pitcherwhose arm angle varies from
(18:43):
pitch to pitch. Thisinconsistency can lead to uneven
stress distribution on the UCLSo number one, again, increase
there, excuse me, inconsistentrelease points and elbow drag
number two, late trunk rotation.
(19:04):
Proper timing and trunk rotationis essential. Late rotation can
cause the arm to whip throughwith excessive force, increasing
the risk of elbow injuries. Sowhat to watch for if a pitcher's
arm is still moving backwardwhen their front foot lands.
This could indicate late trunkrotation,
(19:29):
number three high elbow, or aninverted W or L position. This
refers to the position where thepitcher's elbows are above the
shoulders during the arm cockingphase, this position can play
significant stress on the elbowand shoulder. So what to look
for? Look for a pitcher whobrings her elbows high and
(19:52):
behind their body as theyprepare to throw. This position
is often associated with higherinjury. Risk Number four,
forearm fly out. This occurswhen the forearm is too far away
from the body during thedelivery it can cause undue
stress on the elbow ligaments.
What to watch for? Observe ifthe pitcher's forearm extends
(20:16):
outwards away from the bodyexcessively during the pitching
motion. Number five, poor followthrough. A proper follow through
is essential for dissipating theenergy generated during the
pitch. A poor follow through canresult in residual stress on the
(20:36):
elbow. What to Watch for if thepitcher's arm stops abruptly, or
they show a lack of smoothfollow through, it could
indicate improper mechanics andsix hyper abduction of the
shoulder. This involves theshoulder moving too far back,
increasing excessive strain onthe UCL. What to Watch for on
(20:59):
this is notice that thepitcher's arm is hyper extended
backward during the cockingphase of the pitch. So with
these six, let's review themjust very quickly. Again,
inconsistent release points,slash, elbow, drag, late, trunk,
rotation, number two, numberthree, high elbow. Number four,
(21:21):
forearm fly out. Number five,poor follow through. And number
six, hyper reduction of theshoulder. So you can imagine how
much is involved here, whenthese owners and GMs are
analyzing and deciding whichfree agent pitchers they should
give a boatload of money to ornot based on what are the odds
that they're going to go down?
(21:45):
How about Jacob deGrom of Texas?
Right? They signed into a bigcontract, and before you know
it, he's out with Tommy John,just like that. So again, teams
can't be careful enough. And itdoes explain, while it takes
some extra time in the offseason to really thoroughly
study all these pictures thatthey're considering to sign to
(22:07):
again, especially these megacontracts studies published in
sports medicine journals,emphasize the link between these
mechanical issues and increasedUCL stress. So Dr Glenn fleeceg
conducted an extensive researchon pitching mechanics and their
impact on injury risk. So theeducation and mental training
(22:31):
play a significant role inmaintaining proper mechanics and
injury avoidance. Regularworkshops and seminars on
pitching mechanics help pitchersunderstand the importance of
proper technique and how tomaintain it. Video analysis
allows a pitcher to reviewfootage of their performance, to
identify and correct mechanicalflaws, providing powerful visual
(22:52):
feedback mental conditioning andsports psychology techniques
such as visualization focusdrills and stress management
help pitchers maintain mentaltoughness and consistency.
Mindfulness meditation andrelaxation exercises are taught
to help pitchers stay calm andfocused, reducing the mental
(23:14):
strain that can lead to physicaltension and injury. Proper
nutrition and hydration are alsoessential components of a
pitcher's training regimen. Ofcourse, dietitians work with
pitchers to create customizednutrition plans that support
muscle recovery, strength andoverall health. Ensuring
(23:34):
pitchers stay properly hydratedis crucial, especially during
the heat of the season, asdehydration can lead to muscle
cramps and decreasedperformance, increasing injury
risk. As we wrap up here, MajorLeague Baseball teams adopt an
integrated approach, wherecoaches, trainers, medical staff
and nutritionists all worktogether to support the
(23:57):
pitchers. This collaborationensures that all aspects of a
pitcher's health and performanceare addressed. Continuous
education is prioritized forstaff and players, keeping them
up to date with the latestresearch and advancements in
sports science, which helpsteams stay at the forefront of
injury prevention andperformance enhancement by
combining these training methodsand strategies Major League
(24:21):
Baseball teams aim to minimizethe risk of injuries and ensure
that their pitchers can performat their best while maintaining
proper mechanics and overallhealth. So the sources that were
used to create this diamond castfor you is baseball prospectus
on the history of the disabledlist. Fan graphs, the 10 year
(24:43):
disabled list trends, NCBIpitching injuries and mechanics.
Psychology Today, mentaltoughness in baseball, Major
League Baseball that alsocontributed baseball
biomechanics. What is it?
Baseball? America? How. MajorLeague Baseball teams, higher
pitching coaches, stat cast,Major League Baseball advanced
(25:04):
media and Dr Glenn fleetresearch on pitching mechanics
and injury risk. So that's awrap on this episode of
reversing season ending pitcherinjury rates. It goes back to
poor mechanics. So we'll see younext time in the baseball
classics diamond cast, as wewill uncover a another
(25:29):
controversial topic for you.
You're gonna love this one here.
Really be able to sink yourteeth into it. Excited to share
with you coming up soon. Sountil then, hope you have a
outstanding day, and we'll seeyou next time in a baseball
classics diamond cast you.
Major League baseball fans, get ready for a close up
look from the top step of thedugout. Welcome to the baseball
classics podcast covering anyseason from 1901 to the present.
We'll explore exciting pennantraces, dive head first,
analyzing and even doing somecomparisons that are bound to
(00:23):
settle an argument or start oneup. And now, here's your host,
Dean Patino,Hello again, everybody. Thanks
so much for tuning in tobaseball classics. Diamond cast,
so glad to be with you. Thanksagain for tuning in, we have a
great episode coming up for you,and I'm going to share some
(00:44):
numbers with you. They're goingto absolutely shock you as a
major league baseball fan, I'mgoing to show those in just a
moment, coming up at the toppart of this podcast. But first
I want to remind you, and ifyou're new to the baseball
classics diamond cast, then youneed to know about baseball
classics, real time diamondview. It's a free service that
(01:05):
has everything that's happeningin Major League Baseball every
single day. We give you thelatest updates baseball
classics.com/diamond, view thisreal time. Diamond view service
is our way of saying thank youto all the fans out there, all
the customers we've hadthroughout the decades of
(01:27):
baseball classics. It's a freeservice, no login, no email,
just go in and enjoy it.
Baseball classics.com/diamond,view. Now you might be asking
yourself, Dean, why should I goto baseball
classics.com/diamond, view whenI can head on over to to MLB
trade rumors, or mlb.com or anyof the other sites are out
(01:49):
there, and they're all fantasticsites. So I'm not ask you not to
go to those sites, but what I amtelling you what's different,
what's special, and why we'redoing this for you as a major
league baseball fan. We scourand find all the latest that's
happening in Major LeagueBaseball every morning, and we
(02:10):
put that those updates intobaseball classics.com/diamond,
view, so you won't find thisinformation in any one single
website, I 100% guarantee it. Sowe launched real time diamond
view several weeks ago, so it'sfairly new, but we know because
again, we're scouring, we haveto go to many different places
(02:33):
to find all of this information,and then we consolidate it, we
put it together in a reallygreat digestible format for you,
so it'll keep you up to date onthe latest and greatest in Major
League Baseball, so you don'thave to jump around to all the
different sites we have itthere. Now, if you want to dive
into some more content, we areadding more even more into
(02:55):
diamond view for you. Again,it's gonna be very well
organized, but certainly, youknow, feel free to, of course,
go out and we are fans ofmlb.com and and all the other
sites that are out there. Butagain, we want to take all this
and put it into one website foryou that has a great mobile
experience as well. So it's likegetting the Cliff Notes every
(03:16):
day. Now, we don't send an emailout about it, but maybe if we
get, you know, feedback, andenough people on our email list
want that we could send out anemail with this content every
day. So kind of think of it likea a digest that you get, but
again, you won't want to missout baseball
classics.com/diamond. View. NowI'll tell you what's really been
(03:37):
surprising. So we've been doingthis again for, you know, a
number of weeks, you know,certainly during the regular
season and during the regularseason, you get live score
updates, you get the schedules,you get the standards, you get
all that stuff as well. Butwhat's been really surprising to
me, running real time diamondview is the amount of
information that's happeningright now in the off season.
(04:01):
It's absolutely remarkable, andyou'll see that when you go to
baseball classics.com/diamond,view. And again, we have to
scour and it goes. We go tomultiple places, probably at
least half dozen, to get allthis information. But another
thing that makes it special isthat we include all the major
league baseball 2024, seasondata that we have, players and
(04:24):
pitchers that you can go, sort,filter, group it. You can look
at Team data. We put all that inthere, in time, in real time,
real time, diamond view. You'dhave to pay to get that anywhere
else. Because not only is itstats that you can look at. And
you know, from filtering,sorting it, grouping it. But we
(04:46):
also include the lefty, rightydata that you would have to pay
for anywhere else that you couldfind it. So we include that as a
free service for you. You'llhave a lot of fun looking
through it. We you, we score theplayers. There's Dean. Of
statistical categories, so youcould look at the players in all
kinds of different ways, be itthey in the batters or the
pitchers, all for the 2024seasons. So don't miss out
(05:11):
again. We score the players aswell. And actually what we did
for the first time is we notonly scored the players, which
we've been doing now for anumber of years at baseball
classics, but we projected who,who would be the MVP, the Cy
Young and the rookie of the yearbased on our scoring system. And
we call it diamond data, by theway. So you get access to the
(05:33):
2024, season of diamond data,and we projected five out of six
players that were going to winthose awards. Now, of course,
the MVP was a real simple one,right? I mean, we all knew that
Otani and judge were going towin for their respective
leagues, but rookie year wasn'tso easy for the American League,
(05:56):
and we nailed that, and wemissed out the Cy Young and the
American League Cy Youngwinners, we have Cleveland's
relief ace winning the Cy Young,but certainly school was very
close. He was well deserving ofit as well. We got Chris sale.
So anyway, this is reallyvaluable information, and we
generate all the baseballclassics player cards using all
(06:18):
this data, and we're the onlycompany. Doesn't matter what
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them all right. Now, let's getto it reversing season ending
pitcher injury rates. The rateat which pitchers are going down
to season ending injuries, hasbeen alarming over the past
several decades, we've all seenit. Fans of their teams on the
cusp of playing in the FallClassic are then heartbroken
(07:26):
when their store pitchersuddenly out for the season. Now
here's the numbers are going toreally shock you. This is raw
data showing the number of majorleague pitchers who have gone on
the DL that disabled this bydecade, starting from the 1970s
1970 to 79 500 to 780to 89 800 to 1090 to 99
(07:57):
1200 to 1500 so let's pausethere for just a moment. 1970 as
low as 500 to 1999 as high as1500 it has tripled over those
decades, and during thosedecades, they implemented the 15
day DL, they dropped the 21 DLand added the 60 day DL to help
(08:21):
out with this, but clearlythat's not the answer to this
problem. Alright, let's move onto the 2000s so two 2000 to 2009
2000 to 2500 DL, stints forpictures, 2010 to 2019 2500 to
3000 and then recently 2020, to2023, as high as 3500 now just
(08:47):
back in the 70s, we're at about500 now we're at 3500 and it's
just remarkable what's beenhappening. So the emphasis has
been on spin to velocity ratiofor pitchers, and that
significantly increased thestress on pitchers arms. The
(09:09):
quest for higher spin tovelocity ratio pitches is driven
by the desire to overpowerhitters and improve performance
metrics such as swingingstrikes. And of course, if you
look at any any stance forstrikeouts, dating back to the
70s up through today, you cansee the tremendous increase year
(09:31):
over year, decade, especially,decade over decade, compared to
prior to that, even at the yearthe picture 1968 it just pales
In comparison of what's beenhappening over the recent
decades. Now, higher velocitypitches, of course, generate
greater forces and torques inthe arm. I mean, we all know
what's happening to thesepitchers arms, particularly in
(09:53):
the elbow and the shoulder, andthe increased stress leads to
higher incidence of injury. Asthe tissues much must withstand
greater loads. So many trainingprograms now focus on increasing
a pitcher's velocity, oftenincorporating weighted ball
programs in a tense, straighttraining Well, these methods can
(10:15):
be effective in increasingvelocity. They also carry a risk
of injury, if not properlymanaged and balanced with
recovery. Those of you thatplayed baseball back in Little
League, high school, college,maybe minor leagues, perhaps, if
you're listening to say, evenpro ball, one of the things that
(10:36):
I did when I was playingcompetitive baseball in my 40s,
and I really didn't get my armstrength up in the in the
outfield, so I was takingweights, and I was just as if I
was throwing a baseball, likedoing that motion with heavy
weights. And that definitelyincreased the my ability to be
(10:57):
able to throw the ball farther,faster and harder from the
outfield in to the infield. Butof course, with that came some
shoulder problems for me andsome arm problems, nothing
really severe. I mean, not likeI was doing it for a long period
of time. It's just a fall leaguebut still, imagine what major
(11:18):
league baseball players aredoing throughout the entire
year, now, maybe not everysingle week and but most every
month, if not every month,putting all the pictures,
putting all that stress on theiron their arms. So here is a list
that's going to be familiar tothose of you listening for the
type of season ending pitcher,injuries, UCL tears, high
(11:44):
velocity pitches placesignificant stress on the UCL,
increasing the risk of thosetears. Rotator cuff injuries,
the force required to generatehigh velocity can lead to
strains and tears in the rotatorcuff muscles and tendons, and
then, last but not least, stressfactors. The bones in the arm,
(12:05):
particularly the humerus, candevelop stress factors from the
repeated high forces ofpitching. They all have one
element in common, attempting tothrow with high velocity. You
may remember back in the dayFrank Tana. Tana was a really
great pitcher, fastball pitcherwhen he first came up in the big
(12:28):
leagues, but then he had arminjuries, and he went to all the
slow curves and break pitchesand and wound up having a very
effective career, but he had toswitch over because, again, he
was strong with so much power,his arm, just couldn't do it
anymore. So many trainingprograms now focus on increasing
a pitcher's velocity, oftenincorporating weighted ball
(12:50):
programs and intense straighttraining. While these methods
can be effective in increasingvelocity, they also carry a risk
of injury, if not properlymanaged and balance with
recovery. So while some picturessuch as Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver,
Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson,among others, hurl of great
(13:12):
velocity for decades withoutsuffering a severe season ending
injury, while others haven'tbeen able to what's going on
with that. Why have those greatpictures that we know through
with so much power velocity, notsuffered many major injuries and
did it for a long period oftime? What happened to the other
(13:33):
guys? Why are they sufferingwith these season ending
injuries, one after another?
There's one answer to that, andit's poor mechanics. So improper
pitching mechanics cansignificantly increase the
likelihood of injury. Thisincludes issues such as arm
angle, and incorrect arm angleduring the pitching motion can
(13:56):
place undue stress on the elbowand shoulder. How many pictures
have you seen throw with armangles where you're like how
long can this guy keep throwingthe ball like that, as hard as
he does with that kind of an armangle? Stride length? This is
another issue. An overly long orshort stride can disrupt the
(14:17):
kinetic chain, leading to COVIDsensory movements and increased
injury risk,because, again, your strides too
long or too short, you got tomake up for it with your arm
follow through. Inadequatefollow through can cause abrupt
deceleration of the arm,stressing the shoulder and
(14:40):
elbow. Let's go back for amoment. Gibson Seaver, Ryan
Randy Johnson, how fluid werethese guys when they threw the
ball right when they pitched,they just looked like it was
just piece of cake. What aboutJim Palmer again? There's many
others like Greg Maddux, andthere's so many pitchers just
had this great. Motion, and whendid they go down to these
(15:01):
significant injuries? Sonaturally, even with perfect
mechanics, the repetitive natureof pitching can still lead to
wear and tear on the body. Ofcourse, the repetitive stress
from 1000s of pitches over aseason can cause micro trauma to
tissues, which without adequaterecovery, can accumulate and
(15:22):
result in significant injuries.
So why are pitchers addressingpoor mechanics to avoid
devastating injuries? So let'sget into the answer to that. And
there's several reasons why poorpitching mechanics persist among
major league baseball pitchers.
One significant factor is earlydevelopment and habits at the
(15:45):
youth level. Many coaches lackthe specialized knowledge to
teach proper pitching mechanics,leading to the development of
bad habits that persist intohigher levels of play.
Additionally, young pitchers whoexperience success despite poor
mechanics often continue usingthem due to early positive
reinforcement, making itdifficult to convince them to
(16:08):
change their approach later.
Another reason is the lack ofimmediate consequences. The
injuries resulting from poormechanics over often accumulate
over time, rather than causingimmediate issues. This delayed
onset can make it hard forpitchers to see the direct link
(16:31):
between their mechanics andeventual injuries. Furthermore,
if a pitcher is performing welland not experiencing any pain,
there is little incentive tochange, especially in high
stakes environments whereimmediate performance is
prioritized over long termhealth. Now, Major League
(16:53):
Baseball clubs employ a varietyof training methods to ensure
their pitching staff can avoidinjuries and maintain proper
mechanics. Advanced technology,such as high speed cameras and
motion capture systems, is usedto analyze a picture's mechanics
in detail. These systemsidentify flaws in a pitcher's
(17:13):
delivery that could increaseinjury risk. Additionally, teams
conduct biomechanicalassessments to understand each
pitcher's unique physicalattributes and movements,
helping to customize trainingprograms that address specific
needs. Based on theseassessments, trainers develop
personalized injury preventionprograms focused on correcting
(17:37):
mechanical issues, improvingflexibility and strengthening
muscles to support propermechanics, continuous monitoring
and reassessment ensure thatpitchers maintain proper
mechanics and adapt as needed.
All right, let's talk aboutwarning signs in a pitcher's
motion and delivery so MajorLeague Baseball owners and
(18:00):
general managers closely analyzea pitcher's mechanics to
identify potential Warning Signsthat may indicate a higher risk
of elbow injuries, includingthose that could lead to Tommy
John surgery. And here are thekey indicators that they look
for, inconsistent releaserelease points and elbow drag,
(18:22):
so a consistent release point iscrucial for both performance and
injury prevention. Variabilityin the release point can
indicate mechanical issues thatplace additional stress on the
elbow. Also watch for a pitcherwhose arm angle varies from
(18:43):
pitch to pitch. Thisinconsistency can lead to uneven
stress distribution on the UCLSo number one, again, increase
there, excuse me, inconsistentrelease points and elbow drag
number two, late trunk rotation.
(19:04):
Proper timing and trunk rotationis essential. Late rotation can
cause the arm to whip throughwith excessive force, increasing
the risk of elbow injuries. Sowhat to watch for if a pitcher's
arm is still moving backwardwhen their front foot lands.
This could indicate late trunkrotation,
(19:29):
number three high elbow, or aninverted W or L position. This
refers to the position where thepitcher's elbows are above the
shoulders during the arm cockingphase, this position can play
significant stress on the elbowand shoulder. So what to look
for? Look for a pitcher whobrings her elbows high and
(19:52):
behind their body as theyprepare to throw. This position
is often associated with higherinjury. Risk Number four,
forearm fly out. This occurswhen the forearm is too far away
from the body during thedelivery it can cause undue
stress on the elbow ligaments.
What to watch for? Observe ifthe pitcher's forearm extends
(20:16):
outwards away from the bodyexcessively during the pitching
motion. Number five, poor followthrough. A proper follow through
is essential for dissipating theenergy generated during the
pitch. A poor follow through canresult in residual stress on the
(20:36):
elbow. What to Watch for if thepitcher's arm stops abruptly, or
they show a lack of smoothfollow through, it could
indicate improper mechanics andsix hyper abduction of the
shoulder. This involves theshoulder moving too far back,
increasing excessive strain onthe UCL. What to Watch for on
(20:59):
this is notice that thepitcher's arm is hyper extended
backward during the cockingphase of the pitch. So with
these six, let's review themjust very quickly. Again,
inconsistent release points,slash, elbow, drag, late, trunk,
rotation, number two, numberthree, high elbow. Number four,
(21:21):
forearm fly out. Number five,poor follow through. And number
six, hyper reduction of theshoulder. So you can imagine how
much is involved here, whenthese owners and GMs are
analyzing and deciding whichfree agent pitchers they should
give a boatload of money to ornot based on what are the odds
that they're going to go down?
(21:45):
How about Jacob deGrom of Texas?
Right? They signed into a bigcontract, and before you know
it, he's out with Tommy John,just like that. So again, teams
can't be careful enough. And itdoes explain, while it takes
some extra time in the offseason to really thoroughly
study all these pictures thatthey're considering to sign to
(22:07):
again, especially these megacontracts studies published in
sports medicine journals,emphasize the link between these
mechanical issues and increasedUCL stress. So Dr Glenn fleeceg
conducted an extensive researchon pitching mechanics and their
impact on injury risk. So theeducation and mental training
(22:31):
play a significant role inmaintaining proper mechanics and
injury avoidance. Regularworkshops and seminars on
pitching mechanics help pitchersunderstand the importance of
proper technique and how tomaintain it. Video analysis
allows a pitcher to reviewfootage of their performance, to
identify and correct mechanicalflaws, providing powerful visual
(22:52):
feedback mental conditioning andsports psychology techniques
such as visualization focusdrills and stress management
help pitchers maintain mentaltoughness and consistency.
Mindfulness meditation andrelaxation exercises are taught
to help pitchers stay calm andfocused, reducing the mental
(23:14):
strain that can lead to physicaltension and injury. Proper
nutrition and hydration are alsoessential components of a
pitcher's training regimen. Ofcourse, dietitians work with
pitchers to create customizednutrition plans that support
muscle recovery, strength andoverall health. Ensuring
(23:34):
pitchers stay properly hydratedis crucial, especially during
the heat of the season, asdehydration can lead to muscle
cramps and decreasedperformance, increasing injury
risk. As we wrap up here, MajorLeague Baseball teams adopt an
integrated approach, wherecoaches, trainers, medical staff
and nutritionists all worktogether to support the
(23:57):
pitchers. This collaborationensures that all aspects of a
pitcher's health and performanceare addressed. Continuous
education is prioritized forstaff and players, keeping them
up to date with the latestresearch and advancements in
sports science, which helpsteams stay at the forefront of
injury prevention andperformance enhancement by
combining these training methodsand strategies Major League
(24:21):
Baseball teams aim to minimizethe risk of injuries and ensure
that their pitchers can performat their best while maintaining
proper mechanics and overallhealth. So the sources that were
used to create this diamond castfor you is baseball prospectus
on the history of the disabledlist. Fan graphs, the 10 year
(24:43):
disabled list trends, NCBIpitching injuries and mechanics.
Psychology Today, mentaltoughness in baseball, Major
League Baseball that alsocontributed baseball
biomechanics. What is it?
Baseball? America? How. MajorLeague Baseball teams, higher
pitching coaches, stat cast,Major League Baseball advanced
(25:04):
media and Dr Glenn fleetresearch on pitching mechanics
and injury risk. So that's awrap on this episode of
reversing season ending pitcherinjury rates. It goes back to
poor mechanics. So we'll see younext time in the baseball
classics diamond cast, as wewill uncover a another
(25:29):
controversial topic for you.
You're gonna love this one here.
Really be able to sink yourteeth into it. Excited to share
with you coming up soon. Sountil then, hope you have a
outstanding day, and we'll seeyou next time in a baseball
classics diamond cast you.
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