Dr. Andrews - “Baseball is a Development game, both in physical and skill maturation.
Guidelines
1) Velocity Training - Max effort throwing. Max effort training. Contributes to problems in all areas.
2) Multiple Teams - no planning or accountability compounds the negative effect of all other guidelines.
3) Inadequate Rest - weekly, monthly, annually. Year-round competition. Recommends 3-4 months off from throwing for amateur ball players.
4) Showcases - multiple peaking in the annual schedule. Max effort performance.
5) Professionalism - training youth players as professionals
6) Improper throwing mechanics - misunderstanding of the proper rhythm and timing in the delivery.
High School Pitchers 80 mph - near max torque, must pay attention to the above guidelines. 85 mph - close to the red zone, the above guidelines must be adhered to. 90 mph - above guidelines become the mandatory lifeline to long-term health.
Genetics is the Russian Roulette we do not know, both positive and negative. Understanding this, it's crucial to follow the guidelines to the letter, as they are designed to mitigate these risks.
The current environment created by:
1) Showcase and travel baseball - year-round peaking, short stints of performance, similar to MLB relievers
2) Max effort chase of velocity - promotes improper throwing mechanics, instant gratification. Quick results, not sustainable.
3) MLB analytics - quest for shorter outings, promoting velocity in media and social media.
4) Bounce back effect
5) Current professional scouting and college recruiting practices Past podcasts have spoken about the intrinsic factors in development Physical, Mental and Emotional. Real Life Stories Flavor of the month - parents like to hear what they want to hear. Pitching back to back days as an amateur Mentality of try harder results in a regression to old habits False information abounds
Revealing statistics that are not distributed to parents 25 million in youth baseball - highest since numbers have been tracked (2008) Annual cost - $8,000 to $10,000 Approx.
500,000 high school baseball players The dropout rate for baseball players around age 14 is 70% . Reasons for this dropout include the high cost of participation, the increasing competitiveness of youth sports, and the pressure from parents and coaches. Many young athletes also lose interest due to a lack of enjoyment and overly structured activities, which can take the fun out of the sport (Mental health)
36,000 college baseball players (all levels)
12,000 NCAA Division 1 baseball players
4,800 MILB players
1200 MLB players on 40 man rosters,
780 MLB players on the active 26-man roster Current MLB pitchers' career - AVG 5 years - Free agency eligible 6 years Current MLB starting pitchers' career - AVG 3 years - Arbitration eligible 3 years 25 million to 12,000 NCAA Division 1 baseball players - 0.00048 % 25 million to 780 active MLB players - 0.0000312 % 12,000 NCAA Division 1 baseball players to 780 MLB players - 0.065 % 36,000 college ballplayers to 780 MLB players - 0.02166 %