The 2024 season has seen a surge in elbow injuries for pitchers, with a slew of notable arms sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, Sandy Alcantara, Shane Bieber, Spencer Strider, Shane McClanahan, Robbie Ray and Lucas Giolito are just a few of the names who either won’t pitch until the second half or have been ruled out for the entire year.
Some players have speculated that maximum effort throws and the pitch clock are among the biggest factors responsible for the rise in pitcher injuries. However, there is no concrete answer to explain the epidemic.
Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman admitted as much, but hopes that changes over time, via Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“From an evidentiary standpoint, it is clear that, as an industry, we don’t know a lot,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “I think that’s a really important starting point.
“As we have access to more and more information, there is no question we will be smarter on this front a year from now. That had better continue as far as we can see out, if we have a chance of slowing down this epidemic.”
Although it will likely take years before teams have a better idea as to what is causing the spike in elbow injuries for pitchers, some analytics operations are already investigating the matter.
Former Dodgers head athletic trainer Stan Conte is working with a data scientist to determine which pitchers are more susceptible to injury. They have identified a number of potential causes, ranging from pitch count, age and release point.
Clayton Kershaw shares belief of Andrew Friedman
Clayton Kershaw, who is on the mend from left shoulder surgery, has observed the increase in elbow injuries from afar and doesn’t like what he sees.
Kershaw is hopeful MLB and the Players Association can work together to find a solution to combat the growing number of pitcher injuries.
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