NEW YORK, NY: MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) released a statement regarding the reoccurring injuries that pitchers are facing.
Despite unanimous Player opposition and significant concerns regarding health and safety, the Commissioner's Office reduced the length of the Pitch Clock last December, just one season removed from imposing the most significant rule change in decades. Since then, our concerns about the health impacts of reduced recovery time have only intensified. The league's unwillingness thus far to acknowledge or study the effects of these profound changes is an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset — the Players.
There is no question that a high amount of pitchers are hitting the IL with elbow and pitching related injuries. This topic has once again hit the press after the recent injuries of Cleveland’s ace Shane Bieber and Atlanta’s ace Spencer Strider. As unfortunate as it is, those two are not the only ones dealing with injuries.
Here’s a look at those said pitchers..
Gerrit Cole
Jacob DeGrom
Shohei Ohtani
Sandy Alcantara
Spencer Strider
Shane McClanahan
Max Scherzer
Shane Bieber
Justin Steele
Kodai Senga
Kyle Bradish
Brandon Woodruff
Sonny Gray
Clayton Kershaw
Eury Perez
Justin Verlander
Eduardo Rodriguez
Robbie Ray
Drew Rasmussen
Jeffrey Springs
Gavin Williams
Lucas Giolito
Shane Baz
Lance McCullers Jr.
Bryan Woo
Nick Lodolo
Dustin May
Alex Cobb
Tony Gonsolin
Luis Garcia
John Means
On top of this laundry list of pitchers to hit the IL, two Major League pitchers have spoken out about these issues in the past. Those two being now Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow and Toronto Blue Jays’ Chris Bassitt.
Tyler Glasnow interview when with Tampa Bay:
I 100% believe that contributed to me getting hurt no doubt without a doubt I think like it's ridiculous I'm just gonna, I have used sticky stuff before it's ridiculous that like it seems like this whole public perception of like oh just like select few people like your favorite pitcher probably 50 years ago was using something too like if you felt these balls how inconsistent they were like you have to use something so in the past my like substance of choice is sunscreen and rosin like just nothing egregious just something to where I can get a grip on the ball so it doesn't feel dusty
but two starts ago against the Nationals I went cold turkey nothing and before that start I remember when all the stuff came out I was talking to people and talking to doctors and they were like the thing that maybe MLB doesn't realize that players don't realize is like what what is the injury like what is the prevention of like maybe that'll add injuries and in my mind I was like that sounds dumb that sounds like an excuse a player would use to make sure he can use sticky stuff but I threw to the nationals with nothing I've never been I don't use sticky stuff to I don't use spider tack I don't need more spin I have huge hands I spin the ball fine I want grip I did well against the Nationals probably one of the best starts I had all year I woke up the next day and it was like I am sore in places that I didn't even know I had muscles at like I felt completely different I switched my fastball grip and my curveball grip I've thrown it the same way for however many years I played baseball I had to change I had to put my fastball deeper into my hand and grip it way harder and I had to instead of holding my curveball at the tip of my fingers I had to dig it deeper into my hand so I'm like choking the shit out of all my pitches my cue I used to use with Snyder was hold the ball like an egg like nice and loose be loose that's out of the window so I now have to develop a new cue I have to develop something where I can't hold the ball light anymore I have to dig it deep into my hand so I'm taking it and you have to think I'm not a doctor I know you guys probably know that but I'm taking a fastball I'm squeezing the ball twice as hard so all of this is I'm recruiting all these muscles and I'm taking my arm as hard as I can.
Chris Rose of Jomboy Media asking Blue Jays' Chris Bassitt:
Rose- do you think that too many front offices have a short term view on pitching and not enough concern about player health?
Bassitt- MLB started a very very very big issue decided that 97 was way way way more valuable than 91 you started up a problem where I would see a guy throwing 90 miles an hour say at the bullpen and he would have a 3.70 ERA and then you'd have a guy throwing 98 out of the bullpen and he would have a 4.70 ERA the next year comes around the guy throwing 90 was a non roster invite and the guy throwing 97 was invited back so you set the precedent that stuff meant more than stats of course injuries are gonna happen and alarming rate because you have a natural human body that's not made to say throw 95, 96, 97 they're made to throw 91, 92 and that's okay I just think we have to get back and I think we have to start setting the precedent and MLB where we care about pitching rather than throwing.
Aria Gerson of The Tennessean spoke out on this..
I've said it before and l'll say it again, people act like the increased pitching injuries is something that can be stopped at the MLB level, but kids pitch so much more than they used to, and it adds up before they ever throw 95 or use a pitch clock
I think people want to believe that if only MLB made this or that rule change, guys would stop needing Tommy John surgery so much, but this is something that is building up over years or even decades of stress on the arm. More and more kids need TJ in high school now, too
With year-long play and constant baseball to be played, by the time these kids reach pro-ball their arms are already taken a beating. Somewhere along the lines, there seemingly needs to be more priority taken on health for these pitchers arms.
If this is a reoccurring concern within the sport, there may end up being severe changes needed to fix this issue. Not only in MiLB and MLB, but in collegiate ball as well.