Tommy John Surgeries
- Thread starter Wesley
- Start date
Interesting stuff. In the good old days I think players were probably generally a little older when they started pushing them and it appears that probably helped them. Maturity helps a lot.
I think also that a lot of this comes from kids throwing curve balls, etc at a young age.
I am always amazed at what pitchers did back when. In 1946 Bob Feller pitched 48 games, 42 starts, 36 complete games and 371 innings. I read a recent book about Satchel Paige and he basically pitched year round for 30+ years. Negro leagues during the summer, barnstorming the south in fall against major leaguers, then winter ball in Cuba or wherever.
Paige related a barnstorming game where he and Dizzy Dean both pitched 13 innings in a 1-0 game. Of course Dizzy didn't last too long for a career.
I am always amazed at what pitchers did back when. In 1946 Bob Feller pitched 48 games, 42 starts, 36 complete games and 371 innings. I read a recent book about Satchel Paige and he basically pitched year round for 30+ years. Negro leagues during the summer, barnstorming the south in fall against major leaguers, then winter ball in Cuba or wherever.
Paige related a barnstorming game where he and Dizzy Dean both pitched 13 innings in a 1-0 game. Of course Dizzy didn't last too long for a career.
Or how about playing different sports depending on the season rather than playing baseball year round?
What exactly is the magic pitch count that will prevent all future Tommy John surgeries? Pitch counts get more restrictive all the time and pitchers are blowing their elbows out at an increasing rate. Don't you think that if it were as simple as restricting pitch counts there wouldn't be so many pitchers continuing to blow out their elbows? Nothing anywhere is ever that simple.
Did some of you actually read the link? The most educated expert on the injury stated that kids throwing curveballs are not the problem. I think that kids that are 10-12 shouldn't be throwing a lot of curveballs, but that isn't the reason they're blowing their arms out. The force it takes to throw a ball 95-100 miles and hour is ridiculous and couple that with even a slight mechanical flaw you're going to see arms blow out.
People always bring up guys like Feller about how pitchers used to be durable. I would argue Feller was a genetic freak. His arm was built better than just about everyone else. How many guys blew out their arms in the minors or after a short period in the majors in the 20's, 30's, etc? Nobody knows because you never heard of those guys. There was no surgery to resurrect their careers back then. If your arm got sore and you couldn't throw hard anymore you were done before anyone knew your name.
The problem is how do you get drafted as an amateur player? Light up the radar gun and have a plus breaking ball. Scouts and front office guys don't care if you can locate your pitches or have mechanical issues because they can "fix those things". This problem isn't going away anytime soon. With the advanced training techniques and muscle building, pitchers are hitting the max of the human arm's potential to withstand the force of throwing. Until they find a way to strengthen tendons and ligaments your favorite young fireballer is probably going to need Tommy John surgery at some point.