Alabama Implements High School Pitch Count Rule

[Clyde]

Make sense as it's a better measurement but it's more susceptible to cheating.

 

http://www.nfhs.org/articles/alabama-approves-baseball-pitch-count-rule-beginning-the-2017-baseball-season/

[MF Thatherton]

I'm glad that they are implementing this in basketball. :sssh:

[Oldercoach]

I'm glad that they are implementing this in basketball. :sssh:

LOL

[Clyde]

I'm glad that they are implementing this in basketball. :sssh:

 

Yikes. Wrong thread. Can a mod move this to baseball, please.

[gchs_uk9]

There has been discussion in Kentucky about doing this. I suspect it will probably happen.

[Lawnboy13]

How many arm injuries did Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Pete Alexander, Christy Mathewson, Pud Galvin, Warren Spahn, or Kid Nichols have.......NONE.

 

A friend of mine is a trainer for the Brewers, in his words, kids don't throw ENOUGH, that's why they have arm injuries. It wasn't until MLB started to paying the high salaries to the middle relief and closers that pitch counts came into effect.

[Clyde]

How many arm injuries did Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Pete Alexander, Christy Mathewson, Pud Galvin, Warren Spahn, or Kid Nichols have.......NONE.

 

A friend of mine is a trainer for the Brewers, in his words, kids don't throw ENOUGH, that's why they have arm injuries. It wasn't until MLB started to paying the high salaries to the middle relief and closers that pitch counts came into effect.

 

There's a difference between "throwing enough" and "too often." You're talking more about consistency and long-term. These are aimed at short-term.

[Lawnboy13]

There's a difference between "throwing enough" and "too often." You're talking more about consistency and long-term. These are aimed at short-term.

 

True, however, most of those guys were pitching on less than 3 days rest as well, and throwing a hell of a lot more innings.

 

I get why they need to implement the rules for HS, the last thing you want is a coach sending the "stud" out every day, or every other day for 7 innings.

 

BTW, love how you posted it in Boys Basketball. Reminds me of when I posted a Boys Basketball update thread in Girls Soccer. :banghead::lol2:

[rjs4470]

True, however, most of those guys were pitching on less than 3 days rest as well, and throwing a hell of a lot more innings.

 

I get why they need to implement the rules for HS, the last thing you want is a coach sending the "stud" out every day, or every other day for 7 innings.

 

BTW, love how you posted it in Boys Basketball. Reminds me of when I posted a Boys Basketball update thread in Girls Soccer. :banghead::lol2:

 

Lets not act like there weren't arm injuries back then. The stories of guys being great and then disappearing because they blew their arm out have been around since the beginning of baseball....remember Don Gullett, Sandy Koufax, Mark Fidrych?? And there are countless others you never heard of because they were simply discarded after their arms "went dead". And while guys did throw a ton of innings as pros, they didn't throw nearly as much during their childhood/younger years...I'm guessing Walter Johnson wasn't playing travel ball from March until October as a youth. Those guys also didn't throw in the offseason...most had jobs...that's why the long spring training was initially created. So yes, they had high inning counts, but didn't come to the pros with a ton of mileage on their arms. Today's youth/high schoolers throw a lot more now than they did in the past. Local high school pitchers throw as many games as guys on my college team did in the late 80's early 90's. My high school team started practice in March, and my senior year we went to the state semis and played a total of 21 games. Last year my sons team went to the state semis and played double that, and started two weeks sooner and ended two weeks later. It's a myth that kids aren't throwing as much as they did in the past. Throw in summer ball, fall ball, one sport specialists, and extensive off season training..kids are throwing A LOT more nowadays.

[Knuckle]

Who is going to be the official pitch counter? You know the umpires aren't going too. Most all coaches keep up with pitch count, but there is always a pitch missed every now and then. You can have gamechanger and 5 pitch clickers in the same dugout and at the end of the day they will all have something different. If the limit is 120 and it comes the 7th inning and one coach has a pitcher at 110 and the other coach as him at 120 and the game is on the line witch coach is the umpire going to say has the right pitch count. It is going to be a mess!!

[Knuckle]

According to Alabama system a kid could pitch 25 pitches every day for the entire season. Not sure if thats good for the arm either.

[rjs4470]

Who is going to be the official pitch counter? You know the umpires aren't going too. Most all coaches keep up with pitch count, but there is always a pitch missed every now and then. You can have gamechanger and 5 pitch clickers in the same dugout and at the end of the day they will all have something different. If the limit is 120 and it comes the 7th inning and one coach has a pitcher at 110 and the other coach as him at 120 and the game is on the line witch coach is the umpire going to say has the right pitch count. It is going to be a mess!!

 

Pitch counts are commonplace in youth baseball from day 1. There are rarely issues with discrepancies...in fact in 10+years of coaching high level summer ball, I can't remember a time where there was a dispute over pitch count. I'm sure it's happened, but if youth coaches can do it right 99% of the time, high school coaches shouldn't have any more of an issue getting it right. Since you can typically finish the batter your facing when you hit your pitch count limit, a difference of 1 or 2 pitches will rarely cause a problem anyway. And if your scorekeeper is doing his job, you should be able to double check your dugout count if you think there is a mistake.

[Clyde]

Who is going to be the official pitch counter? You know the umpires aren't going too. Most all coaches keep up with pitch count, but there is always a pitch missed every now and then. You can have gamechanger and 5 pitch clickers in the same dugout and at the end of the day they will all have something different. If the limit is 120 and it comes the 7th inning and one coach has a pitcher at 110 and the other coach as him at 120 and the game is on the line witch coach is the umpire going to say has the right pitch count. It is going to be a mess!!

 

This is why I said the thought process is better but it's also ripe for cheating/error.

[jpa2825]

Have the 2 official "books" in each dugout compare and agree after every inning. Should not be off a pitch or more during any inning. If you don't check until the 7th when they are bumping up against the limit, you could easily have a 5-10 pitch difference -- legitimate OR contrived.

 

I think this will put a premium on throwing strikes. Coaches who try to convince their bottom 1/2 or 1/3 of the lineup, who are often already overmatched, to "take as many pitches as possible to run up the opposing starter's PC should soon find fastballs right down the middle to challenge them.

 

What would be the rules on coming in / out of the game? I could see some coaches trying to "game the system" by swapping stud P for "strike-throwing but not overwhelming stuff" for the same bottom 1/3 of the order in some matchups. If P can come swap back to the mound when the top of the order comes back around, you'll get more innings. This WOULD NOT be good for that stud P's arm.

[Knuckle]

KHSAA is supposed to make a decision on it later this month if they are going to go to it this year or not. Will be interesting to see.