2 weeks into the season and there are 36 pitchers on the IL with elbow injuries, 16 on the IL with shoulder injuries and another 6 listed as arm injuries. That's 58 pitchers, enough to almost fill out a starting rotation for 12 teams.
Tom Verducci wrote a great article in SI why this is occurring at such an alarming rate.
Quote:
This is the only fact you need to know about why pitchers are breaking down: the ulnar collateral ligament cannot withstand the torque modern pitchers are imposing on it. It’s that simple.
Quote:
Here is the proof. I looked at all the starting pitchers from 2019-23 who averaged at least 96.5 mph with their four-seam fastball in any season in which they threw at least 600 fastballs. I came up with 21 high-velocity throwers over the past five years. Of those 21, 18 broke down with major injuries and account for at least 22 elbow surgeries. Here they are:
Tom Verducci SI Article
It's a neat trick to be able to touch the gun at 100 mph. But there's a difference between a pitcher and a thrower. A pitcher should be locating his pitches, mixing velocity, at about 70-80% of max. And then, in key moments, reach into the tank and blow smoke to retire a batter.
Throwers who come out and have little to nothing in their arsenal but to max out velocity for 6-7 innings are headed nowhere but the IL. But hey, you might pick up a Cy Young on your trip. Worth it? Their mammoth guaranteed contracts say yes. But as a fan, I want to see them on the mound. Not reading about their 2nd TJS.