As baseball seasons hit full swing, it is time for my annual infomercial for parents of kids who pitch.

Why do I keep posting this stuff? One, cause I want to see local kids, friends kids, etc who love the game, to grow up and play at the highest levels possible. Two, because a significant number of coaches are either oblivious, or prioritize winning over actually coaching more kids to pitch so we’re not burdening the same few kids EVERY season. I’ve seen a ton of kids who have the arm strength, and/or desire to pitch, that never get the opportunity and that’s a shame.

Here’s evidence, outside what I’ve personally witnessed, to support my oblivious claim. A 2012 study about the perception of Tommy John surgery:

“Perhaps most alarming was the finding that 30 percent of coaches and 37 percent of parents thought surgery should be performed on players without elbow injury to enhance performance.” (source: What We’ve Missed About Tommy John Surgery – A fantastic article worth your time to read)

THIRTY percent of coaches out there think Tommy John surgery should be performed on players WITHOUT elbow injury to enhance performance. Unbelievable.

I’ve used the Little League pitching guidelines in the past. They were formulated by Dr. James Andrews, other medical professionals, and former MLB players like Mike Mussina, etc.

Now, MLB has partnered with USA Baseball and created a handy set of guidelines called Pitch Smart for parents and coaches. Please read these guidelines and protect those young arms!