If there is one thing that I learned in my 18 years as a sports journalist, the quickest to way to start a debate among baseball zealouts at the levels of high school or younger is to have a discussion about pitch counts or throwing curveballs.
Both are polarizing discussions and, no, I’m not writing this column just to get hits on this website. Seriously, I’m just a water delivery guy and I get paid maybe 10 cents a month to maintain this blog. I can’t even buy a Jolly Rancher for that much money. Anyhow, the purpose of this column is to get you to think.
I get comic relief when I hear an old-timer (and I say that with respect) grovel, “Well, back in the day we didn’t have relief pitchers. Guys used to throw nine innings and not get hurt. Today’s pitchers are soft. Today’s pitchers get babied!”
For openers, just because someone throws 150 pitches without getting hurt does not mean it’s right. My speedometer once (well,more than once but I digress) reached 80 miles per hour on Interstate 80 and I didn’t get a speeding ticket but that doesn’t mean that I abided by the law. It just means no police officer had a radar gun nearby as I was driving.
I have mixed feelings about pitch counts because it’s a situation with many variables, yet some people make it a hard-and-fast rule. It’s not that simple.
When you go to a car dealership to buy a vehicle, not every car will get the same gas mileage. Let’s face it, a Honda Accord will get greater gas mileage than any random, gas-guzzling SUV.
Honestly, I believe injuries are just as likely to happen as a result of repeated poor mechanics rather than sheer number of pitches. However, pitch counts are also a moot point because I don’t know of too many youngsters under the age of 21 that are going to sustain proper mechanics for over 100 pitches anyhow.
So what about teaching youngsters how to throw a curveball? In general, I’m definitely of the belief that one should not learn to throw it too soon because of the pressure it places on the tendons. Too many at a young age and you’ll have trouble even putting on your shirt at age 40.
However, I also believe that before teaching a kid to throw any specialty pitches, he had better be able to throw a fastball for a strike consistently. If he can’t throw a fastball for a strike, what makes you think he can throw a curveball or slider for a strike? And if he can’t throw strikes he’s no good to you, me or the man on the moon.
Putting a kid on the mound without warming them up can be a problem as well.
“Hey kid, it’s the fifth inning and you have been standing in right field for an hour. So, here’s your eight warm-up pitches, now go strike out this next batter — we need an out.”
Fastballs on a cold arm can be damaging as well.
Unfortunately that’s part of the problem you get at the high school and lower levels where kids double as pitchers and position players.
There really is no way around it.
Whereas when someone is strictly a pitcher, they can get up in the bullpen and get the adequate number of warm-up pitches.
Though I have never been a pitching coach, nor do I know enough to qualify as an expert, I do know this much — pitching is all about mechanics. If a kid is taught the correct delivery mechanics, they can throw a curveball and not damage their arm. However, I strongly believe that teaching a kid the right way to throw a changeup can get just as effective results as a curveball.
In a nutshell, I think teaching a kid to throw specialty pitches before teaching the proper mechanics is putting the cart before the horse. That’s no different than when you coach basketball, you want a kid to execute a simple bounce pass first before teaching a behind-the-back pass.
When I was a kid I learned to throw a curve that moved. IT was a big deal and I got all enthralled with it. Never learned to throw a fastball for a strike and got cut from HS team. So that part i agree with. But its good they do pitch counts nowadays, while each player is different there is a number where anybody should be taken out
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