More velocity a double-edged sword for young hurlers

[Lonestar]

From MLB Pipeline

Higher numbers on radar guns draw teams' attention, but injuries are on the rise, too.

 

We've reached an interesting intersection in the evaluation of young pitchers -- a convergence of fascination and fear.

 

The fascination is that we've simply never seen so many hard throwers, and that extends to the prep ranks, where mid-90s heat has become commonplace.

 

"When I first started doing this," said a longtime amateur scout, "you hoped to see a high school kid at 90-91 [mph]. You were pretty excited about that. Now, I want to see the guy throwing 94-96."

 

The fear -- especially in the midst of a season in which we've already seen 17 pitchers on Major League rosters have Tommy John ligament replacement surgery -- is what that heat at an early age could mean at a later date, if not an immediate one.

 

"These kids are trying to throw 90-plus miles per hour," renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews told MLB Network Radio last month. "We found out from our lab that the red line for a Tommy John ligament in high school is -- guess what? -- about 80 to 85 mph. The ones who throw beyond that are going beyond the developmental properties of their normal ligament, and they're getting hurt. The radar gun is a problem."

 

And the radar guns are out in full force this time of year.

You can read the rest of the article here.

http://mlb.mlb.com//news/article/mlb/anthony-castrovince-young-pitchers-velocity-brings-rising-risk-of-injuries?ymd=20140509&content_id=74863322&vkey=news_mlb

 

Discuss among yourselves.