I was a pitcher.
That being said. I think A LOT Of DIFFERENT things are contributing to the number of arm injuries that young pitchers are experiencing.
One big one is overuse. Some parents might get upset when Johnny throws 100 pitches on Monday, but don't think twice about Johnny going to his pitching lesson on Wednesday night.
Or Johnny pitches 100 pitches, then goes and plays SS or 3B...
The other is conditioning. THROWING is different than conditioning. I just don't think kids today throw as much as we did when I was growing up. We threw ALL the time it seems.
Do Coaches pay attention to each pitcher's specific mechanics? Do they KNOW when a certain pitcher is tired and his mechanics are failing?
I think pitch counts are a good guideline..but they do leave a lot to be desired.
While I agree that many kids WANT To compete and WANT to win, I also believe that a MAJORITY (not all) of the time that when a pitcher is tired or hurting, if someone is paying attention they can tell.
Every arm is different. That's simple fact.
Mindset is different as well. I know that I always felt like I wanted to keep a little gas in the tank. Other guys went full out all the time...
TO err on the side of safety is great. But sometimes you have to let competitors compete.
And to the study that said adrenaline can make a pitcher not even feel pain? Wish I had read that study back when my arm got hurt.
I tore my shoulder up badly. Turns out my injury was a result of multiple dislocations of the shoulder from playing HS Football. Specialist said it was a rare cause for a common injury (rotator cuff). Mine was a tear..
Adrenaline or not...I knew I was hurt,and everyone in hearing distance knew I was too.
Injuries happen. That's not to say that you should abuse young arms...but every situation is different.