Astros ace speaks out on ‘pandemic’ of pitcher injuries

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is worried concerning the rise in accidents to star pitchers and believes baseball should tackle the difficulty earlier than it spirals uncontrolled.  

“You throw [changes to the ball] within the combine, you throw analytics within the combine, and also you throw the pitch clock within the combine, and all of it type of provides up,” Verlander recently told Ari Alexander of KPRC-TV in Houston. “The trickle-down permeates all the best way to Little League (Baseball). I simply hope that we do not wait too lengthy. It is clearly a pandemic, and it will take years to work itself out.”

Star pitchers comparable to Shane Bieber ( Cleveland Guardians), Spencer Strider (Atlanta Braves) and Eury Perez (Miami Marlins) recently suffered extreme elbow accidents.

Perez and Bieber are scheduled to bear season-ending Tommy John surgical procedure. Strider and the Braves, in the meantime, are nonetheless figuring out whether or not he wants surgical procedure. 

Main League Baseball Gamers Affiliation government director Tony Clark believes a slight tweak to the pitch clock has led to extra accidents. It now provides pitchers 18 seconds to throw when runners are on base as a substitute of 20.

Nonetheless, Verlander — who hasn’t suited up for the Astros this season because of a shoulder damage — thinks the necessity for velocity is the principle wrongdoer.

“I believe it will be the best accountable the pitch clock. I believe, in actuality, you set all the things collectively, and all the things has a bit little bit of affect,” Verlander mentioned. “I believe the most important factor is the fashion of pitching has modified a lot. Everyone seems to be throwing as onerous as they presumably can and spinning the ball as onerous as they presumably can … it is a double-edged sword.”

In response to Tom Verducci of Sports activities Illustrated, the variety of pitches thrown 100 mph or extra elevated drastically over the previous 5 years, from 1,058 in 2019 to three,880 in 2023. 

Verducci added that MLB is wanting into the issue with a brand new research that features 100 coaches, docs and biomechanical specialists. This looks like a sensible thought. The league should stop extreme accidents and defend its greatest gamers.