By Jonathan Massey –
I don’t have many pet peeves when it comes to baseball – bunt or don’t bunt, swing for the fences or put the ball in play. I think there is some merit to these philosophies, especially at the youth level, but my biggest pet peeve when it comes to youth baseball is probably the fact that coaches will require scenarios of kids that would never happen at the major league level.
If Aroldis Chapman threw 30 pitches today, do you think the Yankees would pitch him again tomorrow? If Josh Hader threw 30 pitches today, do you think the Brewers would pitch him again tomorrow? The answer to both of these questions is only if it’s in the postseason. During the regular season, they would both be off for at least 1 day.
My point to this rant is that we, as a society, are obsessed with players’ pitch counts. We think that if we can just keep them under a certain pitch count, then we will avoid all arm injuries. How common is it for a young man to pitch 2 innings on Saturday, and then come back and make a start on the Sunday of a tournament? Something that, again, would never happen at the major league level to grown men, yet we expect a prepubescent young man to be able to handle that workload. Absurd. A good general rule to follow is for every pitch you throw in a game, you will need 1 hour of recovery before you can pitch again. (No, recovery is not the same as rest.)
Now, am I saying that it doesn’t matter how many pitches a young man throws as long as they occur in a single outing? Of course not. Total pitch count does matter. I am just a firm believer that kids throwing back-to-back days has led to more arm injuries than throwing 100 pitches in a single game.
If I am ever fortunate enough to have a son who loves to pitch, my only rule for the coach will be – you get 1 day. As long as he has been built up and is not having long innings (15-18 pitches per inning), then he is free to continue to pitch. However, we will not be throwing in back-to-back days. If I’m in a grey area as to whether my son should be pitching or not, I’ll think to myself, “If it doesn’t happen at the major league level, then it probably shouldn’t happen at the youth level either”.
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Important TBR Updates
- Information and dates for our 2022 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamps can be found on our website. Call the office or fill out the online registration form(s) to reserve your spot! https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/elite-pitchers-bootcamp/
- We’ve just released the information on our Extended Stay Summer Program. Ranch athletes receive messages like the one above at the start of every training day. If you’d like more information, go to https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/tbr-summer-program/
