A recent series of arm injuries in Major League Baseball (some of which affected top pitchers such as the Guardians’ Shane Bieber and the Braves’ Spencer Strider) has brought health discussions back to the forefront. of the pitchers. In fact, the league and the Players Association have They exchanged mourning press releases on whether the shot clock plays a role in these injuries.
Of course, opinions on this topic abound right now, and one of the best pitchers of his generation, Justin Verlander of the Astros, is no exception. While he’s racking up the career numbers that will one day make him a first-round Hall of Famer, Verlander has also dealt with his share of pitching-related injuries, including Tommy surgery. John. In fact, Verlander is currently in the midst of recovering from shoulder inflammation.
While Verlander was on rehab assignment in the minors, KPRC2’s Ari Alexander the decorated right-hander asked about this topic. In particular, Verlander referred to the current scale of the problem as a “pandemic” and speculated that the main factor is increased velocity, rather than the shot clock. Verlander said:
“I think the biggest thing is that the throwing style has changed a lot. Everyone throws the ball as hard as they can and spins it as hard as they can.”
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“It’s a double-edged sword. How can you tell someone not to do that when they can throw 100 mph? Something needs to change.”
Those changes would likely involve structural and rule-based incentives to prioritize longer outings over short, high-speed appearances. This extends not only to starting pitchers but also relievers, who even in the era of the three-batter minimum continue to focus on maximizing speed and precise movements.
As Verlander points out, changing current incentives will not be easy and will take a long time. At the same time, however, it may be the only way to reduce the high level of attrition that major league pitchers currently suffer. Big leagues is currently conducting an investigation into the matterand the hope is that viable steps will emerge from your research, steps that all parties can agree on.