Readers weigh in on 12U kids throwing 170 pitches over seven days
— Jim in Raleigh tells me:
That 170 pitch question hit me in my feels. I was “that kid” circa 1970 Buffalo Little League baseball. I was a “husky kid” who threw nothing but pure heat.
From age 8 to 13, I pitched every inning of every game my team played. I also was a good golfer, & ended up walking onto Purdue’s Men’s team. Unfortunately, all that baseball pitching destroyed my arm. I ended up having “Tommy John surgery” in 1980, & getting 13 bone chips removed from my right elbow. Ruined with my baseball & golf careers
— Travel Ball Hardo Chris B. in Houston checks in:
When I drafted the rules for my neighborhood’s rec league years ago, I used the MLB Pitch Smart guidelines:
And these are very similar to if not the same as what Little League was using back then.
I think the biggest thing to consider is 170 in 7 days a consistent thing for this kid over a significant period of time? If yes, he could start having growth plate pain (or worse). If no, and it’s an unusual slate of games close together (for example maybe playoffs) then it’s probably fine. In my opinion proper arm care would look at not just what he threw in the last week, but how much has he thrown / will he throw in a month, 3 months, the year.
— Brent P. in Indiana says:
Would you have your pitchers throw 170 pitches in seven days. You are going to get passion from both sides of this argument. I personally would let my pitchers throw that many pitches if there is no soreness. There is a difference between a tired arm and a sore arm. I threw well over that many pitches in a weeks’ time without a problem. When I played, I once threw a complete 7 inning game and then another 3 innings in the second game of a double header. My arm felt great the next day.