Pitching injuries have become a polarizing topic across Major League Baseball and everyone seems to have a theory about why so many guys are going under the knife.
The regular season isn’t two weeks old and already the number of battered elbows are starting to add up. The Guardians lost ace Shane Bieber for the season. The Braves might soon suffer through a similar fate with Spencer Strider.
Elsewhere, Astros No. 1 Framber Valdez was placed on the 15-day injured list after his last start against the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan, Miami’s Sandy Alcántara and Baltimore’s Félix Bautista have been out since last year. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani currently just hits.
According to USA Today, 38 pitchers have undergone major reconstructive elbow surgeries since the start of spring training last year. Justin Verlander referred to the rash of ailments as a pandemic, one that requires attention from all levels of the sport.
What’s the cause? Verlander was asked that too and his answer lasted more than four minutes. This isn’t an issue that can be summed up in a quick sound bite.
A lot of veterans point to changes that MLB allegedly made to the baseball in 2016. A previous investigation by the website The Ringer discovered that the balls being used were slightly smaller, with lower seams, than previous versions. A record for home runs was set that year at 5,610, a 35 per cent increase from two years earlier.
