Coaches split on pitch-count limits implemented this season

Local high-school baseball coaches have varying opinions on the statewide pitch-count limits implemented prior to this season, but there’s no debating that the rule changes have added a new dimension to the game.

In an effort to reduce arm injuries in pitchers, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) mandated last summer that every state establish pitch-count limits prior to this season. States were left to determine what the specific limits would be.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Executive Board approved state limits in January, after seeking advice from a state baseball coaches advisory council, WIAA assistant executive director Cindy Adsit said.

Prior to this season, the only WIAA limitation was that pitchers who threw four or more innings in a day were required to rest two calendar days. There was no limit to how much a pitcher could throw in a day.

Under the new WIAA rules, pitchers are limited to a maximum of 105 pitches in a day, with violating teams subject to forfeit. Pitchers are required to rest three calendar days after throwing 76-105 pitches in a day, two calendar days after throwing 51-75 pitches and one calendar day after throwing 31-50 pitches. Pitchers who throw 30 pitches or less are eligible to pitch the following day.

“I think if your ultimate goal is to protect kids and make sure kids don’t get worn out, then it’s a good thing,” Glacier Peak coach Bob Blair said. “It’s a matter of just having a deeper pitching staff and having to monitor your pitchers, when your next game is, how many days off and things like that.”

The WIAA advises both the home and visiting scorekeepers to compare pitch counts after each inning. If there’s a discrepancy, the home scorebook is considered the official record. Umpires are not involved in the process.

“So far, they’ve been right on,” Shorewood coach Wyatt Tonkin said of the scorekeepers. “We haven’t had any discrepancies in our pitch counts. And if there is a discrepancy, I can’t see it being more than one or two pitches. It would be hard to imagine Team A having a pitcher at 56, while Team B has him at 46.”

Unlike softball’s underhanded pitching motion, throwing a baseball is an unnatural movement that puts stress on the shoulder and elbow, especially for youth pitchers. According to a 2015 study by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, kids ages 15-19 accounted for 57 percent of Tommy John elbow surgeries performed in the United States from 2007 to 2011.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to protect young arms. Major League Baseball and USA Baseball have helped lead the way, consulting with leading medical and research experts to create a Pitch Smart program in 2014 that provided pitch-count recommendations by age.

The WIAA’s tiered pitch-count limits are similar to Pitch Smart’s recommendations, though slightly less strict with regard to days of rest. For instance, Pitch Smart recommends four days of rest after throwing more than 75 pitches, while the WIAA requires three days.

The WIAA’s maximum of 105 pitches is the same as Pitch Smart’s recommended limit for ages 17-18, while Pitch Smart advises a 95-pitch limit for ages 15-16.

“I think it’s a great rule,” Jackson coach Kirk Nicholson said of the WIAA’s new system. “It’s the best thing that I’ve seen as far as putting a regulation out there that’s equal for everybody. There’s some situations that I’d probably like to do something (different), but it’s the same for everybody. If all we do is protect children, there can’t be anything wrong with that.”

Of the 46 states that sanction baseball, there are now just two that don’t have pitch-count limits.

According to Baseball America, Washington’s 105-pitch limit is slightly below the nationwide median limit of 110 pitches. The highest limit is 125 pitches, while the lowest is 100 pitches.

Arlington coach Scott Striegel believes the WIAA’s limit should be higher than 105 pitches.

“I’m surprised by the numbers that the state chose,” Striegel said, adding, “I think those numbers they (came) up with are lower than are really necessary. I’ve coached with and against a lot of coaches who have coached high-school baseball for a long, long time. … I’ve seen a lot of coaches throw kids more than (105 pitches), and I don’t think it was detrimental to the student-athlete.”

The most notable local instance of the new limits affecting play came during a March 21 conference game between Stanwood and Marysville Getchell.

Stanwood senior pitcher Trey Tiffany struck out 18 of the 22 batters he faced before reaching the 105-pitch limit, which forced him to exit mid-batter with one out in the seventh inning and his team leading 7-0. But Stanwood’s relievers couldn’t close out the game, as the Spartans went on to surrender eight runs in the frame and lose 8-7.

“To take away a win from a team is a huge deal,” Stanwood coach Cody Bridgman said. “(And) he could’ve had 20 strikeouts. … It’s like walking out there and taking (former MLB star) Rogers Clemens out before he can finish a perfect game.”

Bridgman believes coaches should judge how deep into games pitchers can go.

“There’s a trust built between the player and the coach,” Bridgman said. “The coach should know when the pitcher should be taken out, instead of a number telling the coach to take the pitcher out.

“It’s cost us two losses. … It’s happened to us twice with Trey. He’s a high-pitch player. The most I’ve gone with him is 120. But 105 is unrealistic at the high-school level. Think about it — you’re accepting two walks per inning. It’s not realistic.”

Some states have variations in their limits based on factors such as grade level and postseason play.

In Arizona, for instance, the limit for seniors and juniors is 105 pitches, while the maximum for sophomores and freshmen is 95 pitches. In New York, the limit increases from 105 in the regular season to 125 in the postseason.

“I find it odd that, throughout the season, a kid’s number doesn’t go up as they’re getting more and more throwing in and getting stronger,” Striegel said.

Blair agreed: “I understand having the steadfast count at the beginning of the season, but maybe have a progression as the weather warms up and guys have been pitching for a month or two.

“A kid pitching in the state tournament when it’s 80 degrees out and he’s been throwing for two-and-a-half or three months — if he’s a big kid, I’ve seen kids go 110 or 120 without any problem. So I think maybe upping it five or 10 pitches as you hit May might be a suggestion.”

For most — if not all — high-school coaches, tracking pitch counts is nothing new.

“Most high-school coaches that I’ve come across track pitches and have set schedules where, (for example), the first two weeks their kids throw 30 and the next two weeks their kids throw 60,” Kamiak coach Kevin Agnew said. “They have a process.”

The difference now is that all coaches must abide by the same numbers, even if there’s the temptation to leave a talented pitcher on the mound in a big game.

“I think having a cap of 105 (pitches) is a good deal,” Nicholson said. “Now don’t get me wrong — I’ve seen guys be able to do more than that. But you know what? It’s the same for everybody. Everybody knows what it is.”

Likely the biggest effect of the new rules is an added emphasis on pitching depth. While teams previously could rely heavily on one or two pitchers, more arms are being used now under the stricter limits.

“This is really forcing coaches to develop more pitchers and have more pitching available,” Striegel said. “You have to have a deeper pitching staff.”

“Your top two (pitchers) are pretty big,” Nicholson said. “But now actually your top five or six might be in play when you get to a playoff situation, with the (new limits). So I know with us, I pitched a lot of guys in the non-league games, trying to get guys ready.”

There currently is a proposed WIAA amendment that would allow pitchers and catchers to begin practice two weeks prior to the rest of the team, similar to what’s done during spring training in the major leagues.

“I think that would be a great idea,” Striegel said. “One of the issues I’ve seen is that kids will throw with their summer team during the winter, but mostly what they’re doing is throwing indoors. So they don’t really get to stretch out and throw of any distance.

“Once we get to the first day of practice, we’re having kids throw across the field … and they’re still going to throw a bullpen or two. So that huge ramp-up (is what) I find to be a lot of the issue with kids’ arms early in the year.”

Some coaches believe the rash of arm injuries among young pitchers stems from a larger problem that can’t be solved by high-school pitch counts alone.

“We are putting a Band-Aid on a problem that requires surgery,” Agnew said. “Limiting what kids can do during the high-school season, I don’t think (that) is going to stem the tide of the arm issues that have been prevalent throughout our country over the last few years.”

For many pitchers, the high-school season accounts for only a portion of their pitching slate. Many also pitch on summer teams in leagues that don’t have pitch-count regulations. And some also pitch during showcase events, fall ball and winter training.

“We’re being very protective during the high-school season,” Striegel said. “But then once it gets out of the high-school season, the WIAA has no control over what a kid does.

“Not to say that a summer coach has bad intentions, but they can throw as much as they want. And then they can go to a showcase where a kid wants to really impress people, ramp up and throw as hard as they can — and who knows if they’ve had games the days before.

“Or it might be in the fall when they haven’t been playing as much, and so they’re not as prepared to throw (like) that. And because there are so many leagues spread out, you’re never going to control all that.”

Blair said part of the problem is the growing trend of sports specialization among high-school athletes. Instead of playing a different sport each season, many athletes are focusing their time on one sport year-round.

“Kids are specializing so much that they don’t give their bodies a chance to develop diverse muscle … (and) they’re just not giving themselves a chance to rest and recover,” Blair said.

“The bulk of the injuries I see are from kids who are not multi-sport athletes,” he added. “Most kids who are multi-sport athletes do not get hurt as much as kids who just focus on one sport.”