Injury Risk ?

How old and at what level ?

Dosen't seem too bad to me depending on age and level. #-4 days rest id normal depends on type of thrower as well.
If he is ingreat shape arm wise he should have no problems depending on mentioned things and also mechanics.
How does he feel ?

He is 17 and a junior. Baseball is the only sport so he is in pretty good baseball shape. I guess the 80 pitch day and then 51 pitches less than 48 hrs was a concern. The arm ached in the dugout between innings in the relief appearance but was fine once he started warming up and throwing.
The possibility of relieving Tuesday and then coming back Friday was a bit of concern as well. Say's the arm feels fine today (Wed 3-15). But what else do you expect a 17 year old to say when he is wanting to get all the playing time he can.

One of the things we have to do as parents is make sure they understand the importance of being true to themselves. He has to be able to shut down when he has a bad feeling. Not even pain. My son calls it tired arm.
In 1 game he was was in the 5th and the weather was freezing cold and some rain. He was having a stellar day. 7Ks in the 1st 3 innings and the crowd was calling them as he put 1 down after another. Then he had an easy 4th with 3 pop ups. His team went on a scoring bing and he cooled down. Threw 3 pitches in the 5th and called the coach out and pulled himself. He said is arm was stiff in the elbow area. Did not feel 100%. That is tough to do but your arm is important. He has to know his body. It would be a shame to harm his arm. If he feels he is throwing too much he has to tell his coach when he is not able to throw. Our coaches always asked before every inning.
Also he should do all the things like joggin and icing after an outing especially if it is a tough one.
If he getts up to warm up he should gage how his arm felt and throw easy rather than burn out.

"Coaches and parents should listen and react appropriately to a pitcher when he complains about arm pain. A pitcher who complains or shows signs of arm pain during a game should be removed immediately from pitching. Parents should seek medical attention if pain is not resolved within four days or if the pain recurs immediately the next time the player pitches. Officials should educate parents about this consideration."

theygrowupfast,
Everytime a pitcher takes the mound he is at risk of injury. The idea is to minimize that risk through proper conditioning and proper rest and recovery between starts and relief appearances.
As a junior mine threw about 70-80 pitches a week. If not in one game then a significant time for rest and recovery between starts. Taking into consideration BP and warm up, I think the 131 pitch count in 3 days is out of line, but that is my opinion.

Interesting topic and posts. I commend you as parents who have told your sons to 'listen to their bodies' and tell you or their coach that they are having a problem.

Pitch counts and innings pitched are not always equitable. There are some genetic freaks among us and they can physiologically handle more than others. Intelligent coaches learn their players and their limits.

I deal with this on 2 fronts - parent and S&C coach who works very closely with rehab specialists and this time of year baseball players.

Genetics, mechanics, nutrition, recovery/regeneration time, psychological state all play a role in the injury risk equation.

Jason I totally agree that some guys can go longer than others based on the things you mentioned.
The key to staying healthy is for your pitcher to know his body and his limits.
You have to prepare your son to shut himself down when he is over stressing his arm. This is sometimes hyard to do as every true pitcher wants to keep going. Teach him not to be afraid to tell his coach he is done.
My son has thrown over 120 pitches at 16 several times and up to 140 at 18 and never felt pain. He has had a veru tired arm and is religious in the care of his arm.
I credit most of his coaches with asking him how he feels everytime he goes out. They also respected him saying I am finished.

Bobble,

I agree with knowing your limits. So crucial...This B.S. I hear about 'uncommon valor' on the mound may one day lead to an inability to pitch when called upon in the future. There is no situation to sacrifice the future for the present when it comes to a young athlete.

With the average baseball player not maturing until about 27 years of age the 16 - 18 year old is just a 'pup' in baseball years.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach JasonTX:
Bobble,

With the average baseball player not maturing until about 27 years of age the 16 - 18 year old is just a 'pup' in baseball years.

That's why you treat the "pup" like a pup!

To me, pitching like that at ANY level is poor judgement on someone's part. I have been in professional baseball for 17 years as a pitcher (12 years) and pitching coach (5 years) and there is NO WAY that I would let any of my pitchers pitch that much in that timeframe (young or not)! I have had to keep pitchers out of the game intentionally after they begged for innings. I appreciate their willingness to help the team but I am not going to be responsible for their injury (either now or in the future). FYI, my pitch count goes something like this: <30 pitches could be used next night, >30-45 one day off, >45-60 2 days off, >60 three days off. I am a strong believer that you only have so many throws in your arm before something goes (it happened to me 4 years into my career (torn rotator cuff)). I was in "great" throwing shape and had NEVER had any arm problems before. Someone needs to step up to the plate and protect these young players. It's still about development and not just about winning. Unfortunately that seems to be a diminishing belief. My best to your son and I hope he makes it through this.