WTF is up with Tampa?!?!?

[witesoxfan]

Pitch count is a big deal now, because pitchers are conditioned to it as soon as they get into pro-ball.

 

But the old school thought is that the pitch count is hurting the pitchers and leading to more injuries than preventing. The idea is that pitchers aren't throwing as much which means they aren't strengthening their arms as much as they could.

 

150 pitches is a lot today, but it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. Bob Feller probably averaged 150 pitches per game, and he never had a single arm injury and one of the greatest fastballs the game has ever seen.

 

Randy Johnson could throw a lot of pitches too, but it doesn't mean it's the norm. Citing one of the greatest pitchers with one of the greatest fastballs of all time actually helps the case of those arguing for pitch count, because it takes a freak of a person to be able to throw that many pitches and remain effective throughout the entirety of a career.

 

150 pitches is a lot today, and it is a big deal. It's 25% more pitches than an outing that's already considered a heavy workload.

[BearSox]

150 pitches was the norm back in the day. Pitchers were conditioned to throw that many pitches, on shorter rest. Pitchers are now conditioned to throw less, and I am one of the believers that this actually weakens the arm.