OnlyBucs

745954454253440407360 wrote: More guys go out (with injury) today because we have more GUYS (today.) 



How many teams?  How many on rosters?  How many pitchers?



Then, the other factors, some of which have been mentioned.
Good point. For most of the 1960s there were 20 teams with 10 pitchers (200). Now there are 30 teams with about 14 pitchers (420). Not to mention more minor league teams full of pitchers for more MLB teams.


And, that doesn't even consider the foreign leagues- Asia, Latin America, you name it.  MLB is "global," and players come from just about anywhere. 



Some of the arm injuries might be from differences in conditioning and demands at younger ages than ever before.  I can't say.



Guys in the old days would go sell life insurance during off-seasons or maybe do some barnstorming.  They took time off.  They weren't throwing all year round as much.   



These days, guys are expected to be in top form all year round.  If they're not, just about everyone outside of Polanco's going to get replaced.  There's always somebody nipping at their heels.



Some might be the result of 24 x 365 coverage.  We hear about things about every club anytime we want. 



A lot of factors go into it.  Everybody seems to have their explanations, but I'm not sure that it's ever been shown if any one, two, or three reasons stand out.  Everybody's body's different, and that's probably one of the reasons, too.  Bad luck.



Why the Pirates have been affected this much?  I haven't the faintest clue.  Pittsburgh has some of the finest sports medicine in the world.  Surely, they're asking the same quesiton.

I believe part of it is we leave pitchers in the minors to long racking up to many pitches in less than ideal conditions. Minors don't have the same medical expertise as the majors. Get these guys up earlier, quit wearing their arms out in the minors.

3C242621213627203D3C2A4F0 wrote: I believe part of it is we leave pitchers in the minors to long racking up to many pitches in less than ideal conditions.  Minors don't have the same medical expertise as the majors.  Get these guys up earlier, quit wearing their arms out in the minors.


I just don't see any evidence of this. Keller? Kuhl? Taillon? If a pitcher can't get minor league hitters out why think they can be successful in the majors?

193F3E293F2F5C0 wrote: I believe part of it is we leave pitchers in the minors to long racking up to many pitches in less than ideal conditions.  Minors don't have the same medical expertise as the majors.  Get these guys up earlier, quit wearing their arms out in the minors.


I just don't see any evidence of this.  Keller?  Kuhl?  Taillon? If a pitcher can't get minor league hitters out why think they can be successful in the majors?
No real deep dive into stats but looking at the Cardinals pitchers looks when drafted at 18 they spent 4 years before appearing in majors.  The few Pirates I looked at were 6 years.  Brubaker was 21 when drafted and took 5 years.  I'm just going on what I've observed and it takes us forever to get a player up.  My opinion when you leave them down that long they develop bad habits and they're ambitions are diminished.  A real baseball man should know when they've got the real deal, it shouldn't take six years, that's just stupid or bad management.  I think our record speaks for itself. I would say agents have all this info and their clients do also.