Before the All-Star Game festivities kick off this weekend, Rob Manfred sat down for a chat with Evan Grant.
They talked about many things, like the money problems from regional sports networks, using robots for strike zones, and gambling. But one topic stood out: the wave of pitching injuries affecting teams this season.
“I think there is an initial impression about a couple of topics. We think, in particular, the way young people are being trained pre-draft, but being trained in general, in pursuit of spin and velocity [is an issue]. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that those are concerns and we’re going to continue there,” said Manfred on why so many pitchers are getting hurt lately.
Thanks to better tech and training methods, pitchers can now throw faster with more spin – which gets them noticed and paid big bucks. But how can MLB change this trend? No one really knows yet. Manfred asked for patience while they study the problem. He mentioned that MLB has put together a task force to look into these injuries and come up with ideas.
Manfred’s Task Force:
Manfred emphasized that “no topic is off the table” for this group. They might even look at things like pitch clocks or sticky substances used by pitchers.
“My biggest hope is people will give that process a chance to play out,” he said. He added that blaming pitch clocks or rules against sticky substances without evidence isn’t helpful. In fact, since cracking down on sticky stuff, pitching injuries have actually decreased! Fans might find it surprising how much misinformation can spread around these issues.
Earlier this year, Texas Rangers’ head doctor Keith Meister suggested two specific pitches might be causing more injuries: the sweeper and the hard changeup.
What do you think about all these changes?
