I am in no way even close to being a medical physician. I took one Kinesiology class in 1973, but I am in no way even remotely qualified to discuss the source of arm injuries. After reading the Mike Marshall article that Badger provided, I liked this comment on Kinesiology.
“Kinesiology, I’m convinced, is the secret of pitching,” Dr. Frank Jobe (father of TJ surgery) said. “Marshall calls it kinesiology, which is the scientific term. I call it body mechanics. In pitching, it’s balance, rhythm and alignment. If a pitcher has those three things, the stresses on the arm are at a minimum.
“The arm wasn’t meant to throw a ball that hard in the first place. But since these guys do, body mechanics are crucial…”
So I do what I like to do, and research those who think they know. I like what Clayton Kershaw recently said in a LA Time interview.
“I’m very wary of people that think they have it all figured out when all of this is still happening,” he said. “If you had it figured out, you would’ve told somebody and made a billion dollars. You know what I mean? Nobody knows.”
“Everybody has theories,” Kershaw said. “It’s probably a combination of what everybody’s talking about, whether it be added velocity, weighted ball programs too young, all this stuff that people talk about. But at the end of the day, nobody knows. Nobody knows the perfect formula, and if they did, they’d be doing it. So I think the question we need to ask is, how do we fix it? And then somebody has to be brave enough to put their neck out and try something different.”
“Nobody cares about the old guys,” Kershaw quipped, referring to himself along with multiple-time Cy Young Award winners like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, who each are on the shelf to start the season. Even as Kershaw piled up mileage on his arm through his 20s and early 30s, he said, “I never threw 100 (mph).”
Rather, it’s what’s happening to stars like Gerrit Cole, Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, Framber Valdez, and Sandy Alcántara that presents the biggest threat to the sport.
In looking at those cases, Kershaw struggles to find real answers. He’s long admired Alcántara, who he said has “perfect pitching mechanics” that seemingly put minimal strain on his arm. Recent TJ surgery patient Spencer Strider’s lower half, he said, theoretically is supposed to help avoid his arm from breaking down again like it did.
The answer might not be in more rest, however. Just ask the Marlins, who handled uber talented 20 year old Eury Pérez with kid gloves and still watched him blow out after 283 professional innings at just 20 years old.
“I try to throw every pitch as hard as I can every time,” Kershaw said. “I’ve always done that. I don’t think the amount of effort you’re putting in — I know old guys will say, ‘I pitched at this speed and then when the game got into the seventh, eighth, is when I really sped up.’ We can’t do that. We’re out of the game in the third inning if that happens.”
“At the end of the day, we just want the best players to be on the field,” Kershaw said. “That’s true of every sport. So if there’s a way to do that better, I hope that MLB, the union, everybody would be all on board to figuring that out. I just haven’t heard somebody tell me definitively what would help.”
Kershaw added that this little dustup between MLB and MLBPA is silly. Get together and figure it out for the health of the pitchers and the Game.
Of the 26 players to log at least 10 innings pitched for LAD in 2023, 14 (more than half) have had a TJ surgery at some point in their careers. The Dodgers also had Daniel Hudson, Alex Reyes, Jimmy Nelson and Walker Buehler, who didn’t pitch 10 innings last year with TJ surgery.
This year, of the 28 pitchers listed on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster (and 60-day injured list), 13 have already had at least one Tommy John surgery to reconstruct ligaments in their elbow, and four have had some form of major shoulder repair.
- Ryan Brasier
- Walker Buehler
- Nick Frasso
- Tyler Glasnow
- Tony Gonsolin
- Brusdar Graterol
- Michael Grove
- Daniel Hudson
- Dustin May
- Shohei Ohtani
- James Paxton
- Ricky Vanasco
- Gus Varland
Shoulder surgeries:
- P. Feyereisen
- Nick Frasso
- Clayton Kershaw
- Blake Treinen
Current shoulder injuries:
- Bobby Miller
- Emmet Sheehan
But the Dodgers are not alone with their arm injury problems. There are so many TJ surgeries now, that they are ranking the top 15 MLB pitchers recovering from the surgery.
- Jacob deGrom – Rangers – 06-12-2023
- Sandy Alcántara – Marlins – 10-06-23
- Félix Bautista – Orioles – 10-09-23
- Robby Ray – Giants (from Seattle) – 05-03-23
- Shane McLanahan – Rays – 08-21-2023
- Liam Hendriks – Red Sox (FA from CWS) – 08-02-23
- Walker Buehler – LAD – 08-23-22
- Germán Márquez – Rockies – 05-12-23
- Tyler Mahle – Rangers (FA from Twins) – 05-22-23
- Tony Gonsolin – LAD – 09-01-23
- Jeffrey Springs – Rays – 04-24-23
- Luis Garcia – Astros – 05-19-23
- Dustin May – LAD – 07-18-23
- Shane Baz – Rays – 09-28-23
- Drey Jameson – Dbacks – 09-27-23
Other noteworthy pitchers not in the Top 15 (in alphabetical order by last name): Ian Anderson, Matthew Boyd, JT Brubaker, Kris Bubic, Cade Cavalli, Scott Effross, Tyler Matzek, Easton McGee, Max Meyer, Casey Mize, Kumar Rocker, Trevor Rosenthal, Antonio Senzatela, Lou Trivino, Justin Wilson.
Interestingly, missing from the above list is Shohei Ohtani. I did not write the article, so I do not know why Ohtani was left off. Because he is a regular DH?
Thus far in 2024, significant difference making player elbow surgeries:
- Eury Pérez
- Lucas Giolito
- Spencer Strider
- Shane Bieber
- Robert Stephenson
And now Kyle Freeland (Rockies) is shut down due to elbow strain.
What we do know…The average fastball velocity has leaped from 90.5 mph in 2008 to 93.9 mph in 2022 and topped 94 for the first time last year. Glenn Fleisig, head of biomechanics research at American Sports Medicine Institute and part of MLB’s study group on arm injuries, notes that the injury curve is almost in lockstep with the velocity rise.
By the end of last year, 31 of the 64 hardest throwers based on Statcast metrics had undergone Tommy John surgery at some point in their careers.
Guardians starting pitcher, Tristan McKenzie, had an elbow injury. One doctor advised rest, while another advised TJ surgery. He initially had “no clue,” but opted for rest.
Eight months later, he feels no pain. He admits he can’t possibly know yet if he made the right decision.
We still do not know about Gerrit Cole or Framber Valdez who are both resting barking elbows. The hope is that neither will need the surgery, but as McKenzie said, how could they possibly know.
Veteran trainer Stan Conte believes the max-effort fastball places the most stress on the ulnar collateral ligament, which, as future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander notes, doesn’t stop “10-year-olds on my Instagram feed trying to throw as hard as they can.”
Dallas-based orthopedist Keith Meister, who has supplanted the retired James Andrews as the Man No Pitcher Wants to See, cites the prevalence of the sweeper and power changeup as adding stress to UCLs.
Gee, what do the Dodgers look for? High velocity. What do the Dodgers try to develop for that little extra edge? Sweeper and power change.
I would expect more elbow injuries from pitchers this year, and for years to come. As long as teams are paying out exorbitant salaries for pitchers, there is no incentive to stop throwing hard. Get signed to a big bonus and then get TJ surgery. Sign a big multi-year contract and then get TJ surgery and miss a significant part of that contract…but with the $$$. What are the odds than Yoshinobu Yamamoto will have elbow surgery over the next 12 years?
More throws, less throws, more rest between starts, 6 man rotations…
“All theories, circuitous in their routes, arrive at the same destination: Throwing a baseball at the most hypercompetitive level is incredibly stressful on the arm – the shoulder, the rotator cuff, and most of all, that tiny little ligament whose efficacy means the difference between winning and losing, riches and ruin.
The verdict: Don’t expect a quick fix – because there may never be one.”
This is the youtube that tedraymond posted about yesterday.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
Sacramento River Cats (Giants) 7 – OKC Baseball Club 5
The River Cats jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held on. Dinelson Lamet gave up the first four runs in the third inning. Yusniel Diaz hit a solo HR and David Villar hit a 3-run HR for the runs.
Michael Flynn relieved Lamet. He allowed a double and single in his 2nd inning (5th).
Michael Petersen relieved Flynn. And in his 2nd inning (7th), after striking out the leadoff hitter, Petersen issued a walk that was followed by three singles and 2 runs. With 2 in and 2 on base, Gus Varland relieved Petersen and got the final two outs.
In the home 7th, Kevin Padlo led off with a single that was followed by Ryan Ward’s 5th HR.
In the 8th, Drew Avans drew a leadoff BB. With one out, Trey Sweeney doubled (3) to score Avans, and Kevin Padlo followed with a 2-run HR (3). That was all OKC could generate in the loss.
- Kevin Padlo – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (3)
- Ryan Ward – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (5), HR (5)
- Trey Sweeney – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI. Double (3)
Tulsa Drillers 5 – Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) 0
Orlando Ortiz-Mayr and three relievers tossed a 5 hit shutout. Ortiz-Mayr went the first 5.2 IP allowing 2 hits, 3 BB, and 2 K. Sauryn Lao followed Ortiz-Mayr and had his 2nd consecutive scoreless outing with 2 K in 1.2 IP.
A pair of late inning Jack’s (Dreyer and Little) completed the shutout.
In the 5th in a scoreless tie, with one out Griffin Lockwood-Powell singled. Austin Beck followed with a single of his own. With a fly ball to CF, GLP moved to 3rd on the out while Beck moved to 2nd on E-8. Both runners scored on an Austin Gauthier single.
The rest of the offense was produced by José Ramos. He hit a solo HR in the 6th and a 3-run HR in the 8th.
- Austin Gauthier – 2-5, 1 run, 2 RBI
- José Ramos – 2-4, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 2 HR (4)
- Griffin Lockwood-Powell – 2-4, 1 run
- Austin Beck – 2-4, 1 run
Great Lakes Loons 5 – West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit) 4
Down 4-2, the Loons scored 3 in the 7th for the come from behind win.
Alex Freeland led off for the Loons in the 1st with his 1st HR and a 1-0 lead.
Jared Karros did not pitch as well in this one as he had in his previous two starts. A single and a pair of doubles scored 2 for West Michigan.
Great Lakes tied it in the 3rd with a single by Noah Miller and a triple (1) by Kyle Nevin.
West Michigan retook the lead in the 4th on a pair of doubles and a pair of ground ball outs.
In the home 7th, Yunior Garcia opened the inning with a single. Nelson Quiroz forced Garcia at 2nd on his ground ball. Alex Freeland doubled (4) to score Quiroz. Noah Miller singled home Freeland to tie the score. Miller scored on a 3 base E-5 throwing error.
- Alex Freeland – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (4), HR (1)
- Noah Miller – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Kyle Nevin – 1-4, 1 RBI, triple (1)
- Thayron Liranzo – 1-4, double (2)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – Inland Empire 66ers (LAA)
Game Suspended due to power outage with Rancho ahead 2-0, with Inland Empire runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the 1st.
