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Overuse of young pitchers

Stories about young pitchers who threw too many pitches  ...



Some experts attribute rash of pitcher surgeries to overuse as kids

Updated Sunday, June 29, 2014


The numbers keep getting updated. Fifty-two professional ballplayers have undergone Tommy John surgery this year, including 48 pitchers, 22 from the big leagues.
The reasons keep getting debated. Overthrowing. Underthrowing. Throwing too hard. Throwing too many sliders. Throwing with bad mechanics. Throwing year-round in travel ball. Youth coaches doing a poor job monitoring the throwing. Ditto for parents.
Overuse of young pitchers fueling MLB's Tommy John surgery problem

by Tom Verducci | April 15, 2014 si.com

The elbow of Jameson Taillon gave out last month at the age of 22 and after just 382 professional innings, all of them monitored with extreme caution by the team that handed him $6.5 million out of high school, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Taillon had been throwing more than 90 miles per hour since he was 16 and a sophomore in high school. He threw as hard as 99 mph as a senior.
The story of Taillon's elbow has become a common one. The epidemic of elbow and arm injuries to pitchers will get worse, and there is almost nothing major league teams can do about it. That's because much of the damage to pitchers is occurring before they sign professional contracts. The greatest threat facing pitching in the major leagues is the American system of treating teenage pitchers, with its emphasis on velocity, travel tournaments and showcases.

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In Rochester, Famous Fosnacht's Arm Feels Fine After 194 Pitches

Posted: Thursday, May 15, 2014 

ROCHESTER — Dylan Fosnacht's right arm, contrary to the collective assumption of the online community, has not fallen off, but the Rochester senior is getting a kick out of the attention he's received since throwing 194 pitches earlier this week.

Fosnacht started the Warriors' District 4 1A Baseball Tournament opener against La Center on Tuesday. He struck out 17 and allowed seven hits, two of which started the 15th inning and prompted coach Jerry Striegel to go to the bullpen.


After 232-Pitch Outing, 16-Year-Old Tomohiro Anraku Throws 159-Pitch Complete Game


 by Ben Badler | baseballamerica.com
Tomohiro Anraku is just 16, but he’s quickly become Japan’s newest pitching sensation, both for his talent and his workload.
Anraku’s 232-pitch outing on Tuesday in “Spring Koshien,” Japan’s major spring high school tournament, put him on the international radar. A sophomore at Saibi High in Ehime Prefecture, Anraku led his team to a 4-3 victory with a 13-inning complete game, touched 94 mph with his fastball and struck out 13.
The encore came today—on three days’ rest—when Anraku threw 159 pitches in Saibi High’s 4-1 victory in front of 43,000 fans at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya.

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