Why do pitchers’ arms still get injured despite MLB’s PitchSmart rules? Andy High explains why pitch counts and rest days miss the real cause of arm injuries: poor throwing mechanics.
Why Youth Pitchers Still Suffer Arm Injuries
Major League Baseball still doesn’t get it.
The panel of so-called experts who created youth pitching rules haven’t solved the problem—they didn’t even come close. Arm injuries are still happening at alarming rates, and the surgery business is booming.
A few years ago, MLB introduced the PitchSmart program, a set of rules designed to regulate pitch counts and rest days for youth pitchers. The idea was simple: certain age groups could only throw a set number of pitches, and they had to rest a certain number of days before pitching again. MLB believed these restrictions would reduce the epidemic of Tommy John surgeries and shoulder injuries across the country.
I’ll admit—PitchSmart was the only set of rules that could realistically be enforced. But here’s the issue: it completely misses the root problem. Injuries don’t come from pitch counts alone. They come from how pitchers throw the baseball.
Pitch Counts Don’t Fix Mechanics
Regulating pitch counts and rest days hasn’t solved the injury crisis. What it has done is force coaches to find more players who can pitch—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But the real issue remains untouched: pitching mechanics.
The rulebook does attempt to address mechanics. In fact, it offers a cartoon drawing of a youth pitcher with basic guidelines on how to throw. Really? A cartoon? Why hasn’t MLB figured out that most pitchers aren’t throwing the ball correctly? Why haven’t they leaned on pitching coaches and instructors who see this problem every single day?
What’s the Correct Way to Throw a Baseball?
It’s tough to admit, but very few pitchers—youth or professional—actually throw the ball correctly. Even in the big leagues, many pitchers don’t have perfect mechanics. They’ve simply made adjustments that allow them to succeed in spite of their flaws.
The truth is this: most pitchers use too much of their body to help the throw. As a result, the arm is dragged or pulled through the throwing zone before it should be. Sometimes the arm lags too far behind. Sometimes the body gets forward too early. Sometimes it’s both.
The arm must take more responsibility in the throw. Only then can the body work properly to finish the motion.
Where the Mechanics Go Wrong
Here’s what happens in most young pitchers:
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When the pitcher’s front foot lands, the hips and shoulders begin to rotate.
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The common belief is that the hips should rotate first, pulling the shoulders into action.
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This is the popular “hip-shoulder separation” theory.
But that’s wrong.
In reality, the shoulders should begin rotating before the hips. The shoulders rotate down and around, then the hips follow. This is clear if you compare long-toss mechanics to in-game pitching mechanics.
Unfortunately, countless pitchers have been taught the opposite—that the hips should lead. This widespread misinformation is a huge factor in why arm injuries persist.
The Bottom Line
Until we fix the way pitchers actually throw the baseball, surgeries will continue, and young arms will keep breaking down.
Pitch counts help manage workload, but they don’t correct faulty mechanics. If MLB truly wants to protect pitchers, it’s time to go beyond rules and address the real issue: how the throw is taught.