John Smoltz's HOF speech on specialization

I thought it was a good speech and glad he made the point about overuse.

 

You can specialize and not overuse.

 

My son played baseball only since the 8th grade. He hated s*ccer at a early age. Didn't care much for basketball even though he was tall. Football wasn't his thing either.

He did waterski, wakeboard, knee board, skeet shoot, bow shoot, long distance rifle shoot, hunt, fish, trap and various other things that may not be considered a sport. He also played very little Fall Ball after he was 12 or 13 and when he did, he didn't pitch past September or so (it interfered with his hunting). He did play catch periodically October thru January.

 

Moderation is the key, IMO!

joemktgson was baseball-only after 6th grade. He enjoyed basketball, but the constant screaming/yelling from coaches turned him off. Dabbled in other things, but was focused on baseball. That's all he ever wanted to play.

 

The issue we have is to make sure he doesn't over do it. It's especially hard to have him rest the arm in the down months of November/December.

 

Between baseball, girlfriend, school: not much left to do anything else.

Very unpopular speech, because it's all too true. But very few will listen..

What I took from his speech was not to play baseball year round but use the off season for other sports. And not to let the college coaches make you feel that you have to play year round to get a scholarship.

 

Good stuff, something we have advocated here for many many years.

 

Diamond Dogs,

To answer your question, pitchers are going to get hurt, its almost inevitable they will always remain healthy.

Our son didnt play year round baseball (even living in the sunshine state) until his junior HS season began, we always limited what he did and one reason was that he threw very hard. Even with being careful he suffered injuries (not serious but chronic in nature), which prevented  him from reaching the highest level.  

I have to admit, these days, I sometimes cringe when I hear about how much young players are playing baseball on a year round basis, HS ball, summer ball, fall ball, in between showcases, tourneys for weeks at a time, etc. etc. Some of these kids throw more innings than son did in college.

JMO

Let the kids do what the kids want to do.  Last time I checked you only get one shot at going through life (unless you believe in reincarnation and even then you won't remember it so it's like going through it for the first time anyway) so let people enjoy what they want to do.  I believe in overuse injuries in that they do happen but I also realize not to everyone.  When it comes to injuries I agree with TPM - they are going to happen and sometimes it's because play too much and sometimes it's because you specialize too much.  It is what it is - go have fun.  If someone is trying to make you specialize they are not the right fit for you.  Go have fun.

 

Now if a kid wants to specialize because that's what's fun to them then let them specialize.

Here are Smoltz's remarks on the subject Sunday at Cooperstown in their entirety:

Before I hand it over to the next inductee, I'd be remiss if I did not talk about Tommy John. I've been given an opportunity as one of the only players, the only one right now, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with Tommy John surgery. It's an epidemic. It's something that is affecting our game. It's something that I thought would cost me my career, but thanks to Dr. James Andrews and all those before him, performing the surgery with such precision has caused it to be almost a false read, like a Band‑Aid you put on your arm.

I want to encourage the families and parents that are out there to understand that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old, that you have time, that baseball's not a year‑round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports.

Don't let the institutions that are out there running before you guaranteeing scholarship dollars and signing bonuses (tell you) that this is the way. We have such great, dynamic arms in our game that it's a shame that we're having one and two and three Tommy John recipients. So I want to encourage you if nothing else, know that your children's passion and desire to play baseball is something that they can do without a competitive pitch. Every throw a kid makes today is a competitive pitch. They don't go outside; they don't have fun; they don't throw enough. But they're competing and maxing out too hard, too early, and that's why we're having these problems. So please, take care of those great future arms.

Do you mean the part where he said kids nowadays "don’t throw enough"?  Which I happen to agree with . . .

 

Seriously, to answer the OP, 2019Son will begin to focus on baseball this year (9th grade). Up until now, he has played lots of sports other than baseball -- though on school teams, not travel teams.

Specialization...   again...  oh well my viewpoint hasn't changed.  Play what you want.  If its three sports so be it.  If its one that's fine too.  As for 2020 he plays basketball and baseball.  But by far more time spent on baseball.  His choice.  He will probably stick with basketball through high school but again that will be his choice.  But baseball for him is 12 months a year.  Part of that is baseball specific strength and fitness part is winter practice and part fall ball and of course the regular season.  No apologies.  And no burn out.  He would play 365 days a year if he could.

Welcome to the site, Diamond Dogs.  You will find countless threads on this topic.  I'll give you some of my perspective...

 

I have three kids, my youngest is still playing as a rising college junior.  I have coached HS ball for several years and have coached travel ball across ages from 12 - 18.  I have also coached summer college ball and am asked on occasion to guest coach showcase teams.  I do occasional contract work as site director for one of the big youth tournament organizations and have done so for about ten years.  I just worked one this past weekend.  I had ages 9-13 at my facilities so this should resonate with you and your kids.  I really enjoy being around the kids and trying to provide a great playing environment for them.  But FAR too many of the parents and coaches have gone so far overboard it is unbelievable.  I could tell you crazy stories for days from these events.  They are clearly pushing their kids to be all about baseball and putting way too much pressure on the kids to perform at a high level right now - yes, even at 8 and 9 years old.  I have seen it only get worse over the years and the younger the players, the worse the coaches and parents' behavior is.  Of course this is a generalization.  But it used to be I would enjoy the many great parents and coaches and tolerate the difficult ones.  This has shifted to the point where I have to seek out those parents and coaches who have a reasonable sense of balance in mind for their kids.  I left this weekend wishing I had a clear path to trying to influence this trend.  At least I can talk to you here.

 

Always remember that, as much as your kids may love baseball, in the end, it will not define them.  Focus on what kind of person each is off the field.  What other interests do they have or can you introduce them to?  They will grow and change.  They may continue playing baseball or they may take up different interests.  They may get hurt, get a girlfriend or get beat out at some level, no matter how hard they work at the game.  Be prepared to support their interests, whatever they may be.  In some cases, I think balance is something that even may need to be forced to an extent.  We told our kids they had to be involved in one or two outside activities, no more and no less, at a time, their choice.  Told them to pick a sport or music or community participation or some other hobby.  Help them be well-rounded.  Help them see how much the world has to offer.  Make sure part of the balance is to fulfill their share of responsibilities around the house as a member of the family.  And sports is no excuse not to do so.  If they are gifted enough and have the desire to excel at one in particular, gradually increase time toward that activity as part of the big picture but continue to insist on balance and new experiences. 

 

Yes, at some point, a young player may need to spend more time outside of the regular season (whatever that is anymore) in order to continue to compete.  The equation is different for everyone.  What is the individual's talent level?  What is the competitive environment - how good is the HS program, etc.?  But it sure as heck doesn't have to happen before they are twelve or thirteen.  And, even then, there still should be balance.  If the kids are in a school environment that allows them to participate in multiple sports and they want to do so, let them.  If they are talented enough to continue playing their favorite sport, there will still be enough time to hone their skills in that particular sport.  Meanwhile, there is usually plenty of benefit from playing the second or third sport or from taking a break from team sports and doing something else.

 

I've had dozens of kids tell me they love baseball and want to play it all the time.  I've become pretty good at reading a kid's voice and asking a few exploratory questions to determine sincerity vs. influence.  There are instances where it is 100% sincere.  There are far more instances where there is a significant amount of influence by parents and coaches who have the kids thinking they have to play all the time to "make it".  And in many of those instances, the parents have brainwashed themselves to believe it all comes from the kid.  Thus the need for appeals from folks such as Smoltz.

 

 

 

 

Smoltz' argument makes no sense. He was a multi-sport star and he had TJ surgery.

Smoltz had already reached the majors when he had TJ.  His reference is that now it is becoming common for 14, 15 year olds to need the procedure.

       
       


My understanding is Smoltz is against year round competitive Baseball. I also believe he is encouraging kids to play other sports and spend more time throwing. Makes sense to me; getting out in the yard & throwing is different than playing competitive Baseball. And yes; he'd played a number of years professional ball before TJ. He does not come across as a know it all & I respect his opinion.

Smoltz had TJ surgery while a professional athlete. Not at 14-15 years old.

The quote that interests me, especially coming from a Hall of Fame pitcher is: "that baseball's not a year‑round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports." Is this true?  Do you really have that opportunity? How many coaches today would agree that baseball should not be a year-round sport,in practice not theory, or do most travel coaches and then HS coaches demand full participation (spring season, summer ball, camps, showcases, fall team, winter workouts, pitching coaches, hitting coaches, etc)? Does anyone here actually have a kid who was a multi-sport athlete in HS, or is that a thing of the past?

I played baseball through college. I played three sports in high school. I never tried to influence my kids towards baseball/softball. But it's what they play(ed) in college. They also played four sports into middle school and three in high school. My son was cut from basketball soph year for missing all the off season workouts and summer basketball. He played rec basketball the rest of high school.

 

My my kids never played baseball/softball out of season until high school. After 8th grade each played fall ball in addition to their fall sport. Winters were for physical training ing in addition to their wimter sport. In high school baseball/softball became year round.

 

Senior year my son fell and separated his shoulder doing an agility drill. It required surgery. The ortho (also has pro clients) said my son's shoulder had a lot of wear and tear. It wasn't from pitching. It was from all the contact playing sports. He's a very physical athlete. He's a very athletic kid who plays like a grinder. Putting his shoulder back together had him throwing harder.

 

So it's not necessarily pitching too much, too little, playing one sport or playing multiple sports. All an athlete can do is take care of his body the best he can and hope for the best. As far as throwing and pitching I do believe kids pitch too much and throw too little. My son threw almost every day during the season starting with LL.

 

i also believe just because a person is/was a pro athlete doesn't mean he knows anything about youth sports and youth's bodies.

All three of my kids were multi-sport thru HS.  The majority of the student/athletes at our medium size HS are multi-sport thru all or most of their HS years.  Granted, a fair amount of those are football players who run track. 

My kids attended a large classification high school. My daughter played volleyball, basketball and softball. Since there are less athletic girls they are encouraged to play two or three sports. 

 

My son's soccer coach went nuts every year my son told him he would be playing baseball all summer. He did attend two weeks of goalie camp each summer. After being the starting point guard on the freshman team he was cut soph year for missing all the off season workouts and not playing in a summer league. The only two sport basketball player was 6'7", 220. The basketball coach told me since my son was already a varsity soccer player and expected to start varsity baseball as a soph he obviously didn't have time for basketball. A former UNC captain thought the coach was nuts for cutting my son. Having the winter to workout helped him put on bulk and muscle instead of running off weight playing basketball every day.

In a conversation this past winter with an AD of a nearby private school known for its athletics, he told me that they have a specific award for three-sport athletes, and that they haven't given the award in a number of years because they don't have any three-sport athletes. He said that they still see a lot of fall-spring two-sport athletes (e.g., football-baseball, or football-track), but it's difficult to do back-to-back seasons (e.g., fall-winter, or winter-spring) because the seasons overlap so much.

 

To be clear, I'm talking about the big-school level (Division 1 in California; there are seven divisions). I know that it's different at smaller schools -- e.g., lots and lots of kids in Division 5 schools play multiple sports.

There was the focus on arm issues.

 

But anybody catch this quote?  "Don't let the institutions that are out there running before you guaranteeing scholarship dollars and signing bonuses (tell you) that this is the way. " in regards to year round competitive baseball.

 

And what includes "Institutions"?  Academies? Promoters? Showcase? Agents?

 

So did he really mean guaranteeing? Or was that an easy word to encompass: Dangling hopes and dreams of

If they don't want to play football are you gonna make them? Are you gonna drive them all over the state and force them to wrestle just because someone gave their opinion? Different strokes for different folks, athletes are not all built the same, it's not a Toyota assembly line.

Long toss or no long toss?

Throw in between starts or don't throw?

Bands are good or bad?

Weighted balls or not?

No curve balls until your 15,16, or 17?

Completely shut the arm down in July?

Do a fall throwing program with weights?

Don't play another sport with a throwing motion.

Play every sport you can find including Ice Curling!

Bowling will tighten up your shoulder.

Run after each outing.

Unusual mechanics.

Make sure you ice.

Never mind ice is what the old timer's would do.

Kids just don't throw enough these day's!

How about a 15 year old throwing 162 pitches in a JV game on a cold March night with a inch of snow on the ground.

 

My point is, there are many thing's to blame for injuries and for careers that have been shortened. But there are also just as many to give credit to when everything works out. Every kid and family is different and should figure out whats best for them, Nolan Ryan   lifted weights when his coaches told him not too, He felt like he was a better pitcher because of it.

I've posted this before, but I think I will repeat it again.  I had the opportunity to have a semi-private discussion with Buddy Bell.  Buddy is now in charge of scouting for the White Sox.  One of the topics he talked about was specialization in sports.  He was very much against is and said that he preferred athletes who played multiple sports.  Main reasons were, they have seen way too many overuse injuries, burnout, kids were coached up way too much leaving little potential upside, and he felt multi-sport athletes were more competitive then a single sport athlete.  In the end he said when they are making draft decisions it comes down to can the kid play and whats his upside.  If they are looking at two equal athletes and one is multi-sport and the other is baseball only they are going to go with the multi-sport athlete.  That is not to say they are not going to take a baseball only draftee if they feel he can play and has upside.

 

As far as my 2017's journey.  He has been a 3 sport athlete up until this point.  Starter on the football, basketball and baseball teams.  One of about 6 kids (about 950 in his class) who have earned their 3 sport award for the last two school years.  This year he has dropped both football and basketball.  It was a very tough decision for him, but he is starting to see some college action and decided that its time to focus on the one sport for this year.  He is still planning (and encouraged by his HS and travel coaches) to take time off after the fall season.  He is going to use this time to work on his physicality as that is the area folks feel he is most lacking in.  He is 6'4" 180 pounds.  He needs to add some muscle mass and its difficult when you are always in season.

 

 

 

 

Truth is, there are both multi sport and specialization athletes that have made it to the highest level of baseball.  I don't see one way being any better or worse than the other way.

 

i actually like to see kids participate in all the sports, if that is what they enjoy.  However, there are a large number of Latin players in the Big Leagues and nearly all of them specialized in one sport.

 

To me there is nothing wrong with either way.  I do believe that specializing in one sport shouldn't include actual competition year around.  This is especially true for pitchers.  However things like fielding and hitting are something the more you do the better you get at it.  There are a lot of Latin shortstops in the Major Leagues.  Is that because they are better athletes than those here in the states?  I think it is because that 16 year old from the Dominican has simply fielded twice as many ground balls as the 16 year old here in the United States.  

 

It is amazing how many professional baseball pitchers and players were Quarter Backs in high school.

To follow up on PGStaff's comment about Latin American kids, I hear folks like Bell say positive things about multi-sport athletes, but when you look at the draft it sure doesn't seem like MLB is giving much weight to the whole multi-sport angle. For instance, this year the top draft picks out of HS were:

 

3. Brendan Rodgers

5. Kyle Tucker

10. Cornelius Randolph

11. Tyler Stephenson

12. Josh Naylor

13. Garrett Whitley

 

I'm not sure about Naylor since he is Canadian and MaxPreps didn't have him in their database, but the other 5 played only baseball in high school (per MaxPreps). I stopped looking after the first half-dozen, but in the past couple of drafts the first round has been heavily weighted (around 70%) with baseball-only kids, at least with respect to the high school players drafted.

 

At 2019Son's school, by the time they get to junior year there are very, very few multi-sport athletes, in the range of just a couple of kids. And that is across the board, not just with respect to baseball. OTOH, they have a lot of talent (e.g., in baseball over the past two graduating classes, 16 kids went on to D-1 baseball), so part of it may be that the kids feel like they have to specialize in order to compete . . . 

His speech is about NOT playing competitive baseball all year round. You can be involved in other activities as a youth player and in HS. Save the year round bb for when you need it is all he is saying. You do not have to be in a game to throw a baseball.

As far as latins, very few play organized baseball, how many play elite travel ball at 7, 8? And they suffer many injuries, but because they dont want to go home they keep it very much in the inner circle. 

Latin pitchers are having more and more tjs.

Not sure why anyone would question anyone who has walked the walk.  This is about common sense and as pointed out by cabbagedad, many folks these days dont have much of that.

For those that say they would allow their young players to play  baseball. 365 days a year, well go ahead. Dont say no one warned ya.
And this doesnt mean 365 days of baseball and 2 other sports  or teams at the same time!

The sky is falling fear mongering about arm injuries is getting to be pretty stupid at this point.  There is no documented epidemic.  What we are seeing is that unlike the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s where kids would throw out their arm and thus never play again (we saw that all the time as kids); they can actually get surgery to fix the issues. There is no study that shows that arm injuries are worse now than they use to be; they just show having more and more surgeries because guess what; technology now allows it.

Son's RC said the same thing as Bell noted above. 2015 played 4 sports in HS. Played baseball 4 years, soccer 4 years, indoor track 3, and freshman basketball.Knew he would shed basketball first as he is under 6 foot, and would have likely been the 14th player on a 15 player JV team, perhaps getting a minute every so many games. From basketball he developed his upper body, toughness (taking charges from people 50+ lbs bigger), and endurance. Soccer helped speed and lateral movement and he developed big calf muscles during the season. Would throw in ball when out of bounds, especially if it was <25 yards from goal. Indoor track helped with his technique in running; coaches fine-tuned his sprinting. Credits track for helping lower his 60 and HTF times. Developed strong upper leg/thigh muscles in track. Baseball was all about increasing bat speed and arm strength for him, which were different muscles then those he used to throw a soccer ball.

After his last track meet his senior year (around March), son looks at me and says, "Dad,  I am now a 1 sport athlete."

 

The point is 13, 14 year shouldnt have to go through major surgery.

My 2017 catcher has played baseball exclusively, year-round since t-ball when he was 6. However, he is a mountain bike and skateboarding instructor in summer camps and used to be quite the skateboarding enthusiast from late grade school. We also play Frisbee a lot, and he hates it that I still throw much better than he does (but he makes much more athletic catches). Happily, he's doing great.

Originally Posted by 2019Dad:

In a conversation this past winter with an AD of a nearby private school known for its athletics, he told me that they have a specific award for three-sport athletes, and that they haven't given the award in a number of years because they don't have any three-sport athletes. He said that they still see a lot of fall-spring two-sport athletes (e.g., football-baseball, or football-track), but it's difficult to do back-to-back seasons (e.g., fall-winter, or winter-spring) because the seasons overlap so much….

 

That AD must have been talking about some kind of overlap other than the “season” the sport was played in. Looking at football, basketball, and baseball, the only possible overlap of seasons is if the championship is involved. Now if he was referring to practices and conditioning, that’s a different matter.

 

CIF Bylaw 504 Season of sport.

 

E. The basic sports seasons are:

Fall - August through November

Winter - November through February

Spring - February through June

Exact dates may vary from year-to-year and between Sections within the above specified basic seasons.

Championship competition may extend beyond these limits.

 

H. Sections have the responsibility to work toward equity relative to length of season, number of contests, and

number of opportunities for participation by students. The “seasons of sport” for State Championships are:

Fall - Volleyball (girls) Winter - Soccer (boys and girls - SoCal Regionals only)

Fall - Cross Country (boys and girls) Spring – Swimming and Diving (boys and girls)

Fall - Football (boys) Spring – Track and Field (boys and girls)

Fall - Golf (girls) Spring - Golf (boys)

Fall - Tennis (girls - Regionals only) Spring - Tennis (boys - Regionals only)

Winter - Basketball (boys and girls) Spring - Volleyball (boys - Regionals only)

Winter -Wrestling (boys and girls) Spring – Badminton (boys, girls and coed - Regionals only)

 

Part of the problem is in many high schools each sport is its own fiefdom.  Each coach wants "their guys" to do his thing.  If you don't, you look like you are uncommitted to the program.  Workout are not coordinated and become ineffective.  There is an easy fix.  A strong AD who can get everyone on the same page.  Have a high school all sport strength and conditioning coach.  In the summer offseason, all athletes work with him/her in the AM.  The focus is on general athletic conditioning, with some specialization for particular sports.  The PM is open for group sport work -- basketball camp, summer baseball, volleyball, etc.  Get the athletes prepared in the offseason summer to play during the school year.  Multi sport athletes can find time to work on skill specific aspects, ie; shooting, hitting, pitching, while doing the in season sport.  There is a school by me working this way and it seems to be helping. 

Here are my thoughts. My 2015 RHP was just dropped off at his SEC school to play baseball. It has been a long journey filled with ups and downs. As a  parent of a child who only plays baseball and YES it is a sport that requires 12 months of dedication, I feel compelled to tell our recent story. My son threw 90 HS innings his junior year (2014) keep in mind this is up form his all time high of 30 innings in a calendar year. Going into his important summer before his senior year we joined a very high end baseball organization. The upper end of select 17U baseball. All players were D1 and many drafted. My son was expected to be the ace but really struggled with velocity. He was simply tired and needed a break BUT the demands of the summer circuit kept him out there. He only pitched in a few summer events of 2014 because I made the decision to shut him down. Keep in mind no medical issues just his arm felt heavy and he was struggling with velocity. He never said it but I knew it and took action. What hurt us was the select coaches being mad at him and telling scouts he was not good etc. They never asked what might be happening to him or even cared. They wanted that horse on the mound no matter the consequences. The organization's leader went on to tell pro scouts terrible things about him and he only had three opportunities to ever watch him pitch. Long story short I shut my son down, focused on weight training and getting into good shape. His last event was the Area Code games in CA and then he did not pick up a baseball until November. All he did was train daily and got into wonderful shape. He did not pitch in the BIG Fall tourney in Florida that thousands of scouts were attending. This hurt him with pro scouts and I heard it from everybody including his representation that skipping that event was stupid. This is the stuff that is killing kids arms. Event after event is expected for the pros to gain a comfort level with you. These kids are training for velocity and not training to be great pitchers. It is all about who throws the hardest. Fast forward to his senior year of 2015. he had a great year and his last outing he sat 92-95 and was awesome. He could barely break 90 last summer. I believe these kids need period of non throwing and focus on their body and minds. Parents, shut them down and go to the gym. You do not have to play multiple sports BUT stop throwing for an extended period and work your body. This will help.

My thoughts:

 

It was a lot easier to make this decision back in Smoltz's day.  When he came up, there wasn't even an option available. 

 

The question to be asked is, now that we have the option, why do so many choose to play "year round baseball" (which I put in quotes because it's quite the misnomer).

 

The answer is, because we love baseball and want much, much more of it.

 

When I was a kid, the 16 games you got with your Little League team in the spring was all the opportunity we had.  How I wish we could've played and played and played like kids do now.

 

And let's get real.  The fraction of players who can even hope to play MLB is miniscule.  To say that 100% of kids should stop playing because a fraction of a percent of them might increase their injury risk is really tail wagging the dog.

 

If the point is really what Andrews said, then I'm all on board.  Limit pitching, use pitch counts, observe proper rest intervals, etc.  Absolutely yes, no exceptions.

 

And to be clear, kids can and do play other sports.  In high level travel ball, you're talking about March-June on school teams, June-July and Sept-Oct in travel.  That's 7 months out of the year, and many programs allow players to play, e.g., football in the fall.  Many fall programs are decidedly low key.  Let's stop arguing against something that isn't really happening anyway.

Originally Posted by Golfman25:

Part of the problem is in many high schools each sport is its own fiefdom.  Each coach wants "their guys" to do his thing.  If you don't, you look like you are uncommitted to the program.  Workout are not coordinated and become ineffective. 

 

Truer words have never been spoken!

 

There is an easy fix.  A strong AD who can get everyone on the same page.  Have a high school all sport strength and conditioning coach.  In the summer offseason, all athletes work with him/her in the AM.  The focus is on general athletic conditioning, with some specialization for particular sports.  The PM is open for group sport work -- basketball camp, summer baseball, volleyball, etc.  Get the athletes prepared in the offseason summer to play during the school year.  Multi sport athletes can find time to work on skill specific aspects, ie; shooting, hitting, pitching, while doing the in season sport.  There is a school by me working this way and it seems to be helping. 

 

It sounds like a good fix, but I don’t see how all the publics could do it, if for no other reason than the cost. Somebody’s got to pay for that S&C coach, but right now our schools are really strapped for sports funds. Things have gotten so bad in our district, at many schools the summer baseball team has to pay the school for the use of the field!

Well...

• HS off-season practices (organized or not) begin in mid-January in preparation for mid-February tryouts. Can't go into that stone cold, as that is risky for the arm.
• August is a quasi-down month, but practicing is needed to stay sharp for September and October ball.
• November and December? No throwing, but those kids love to hit, so they're always on the prowl for an indoor facility that's available (they play, I pay). Above 40 degrees? They're outside in the cages.
• And the lifting, conditioning, speed work is ongoing using interval training.
• So it nets down to 2.5 months of no throwing.

FWIW...for those kids I know (and know of) who played HS football and/or basketball but whose first love was baseball, in retrospect they probably would've done things differently in high school. Not an opinion, just feedback from a small sample.

       
       
Joe as a die hard sox fan...  I wouldn't listen to a thing buddy bell says.  The white sox draft record is abysmal.  Thank God for sales and rodan.

       
       
I have attempted to make this point many times.  I wish you better luck.

I'm confused. 

 

Smoltz wanted parents and players to know that it is "not normal to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old, that you have time, that baseball's not a year‑round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports"

 

Did my 2020 just not get to this part in the journey yet? While he is on a team that lasts for a year he doesn't actually play all year, a majority of his play is March-July...the rest of the time practice is pretty much about speed/agility/strength...but nothing really full force until early February. 

 

Are there 14/15u kids playing year round, like actually playing games every month?

 

Sorry guys, I have to respectfully disagree.  I just jotted down the best six arms I could think of that came out of our area over the last five years.  All were pulled in several different directions over the summer and fall to high profile showcases, area code, pitch for scouts, etc. where it becomes very difficult to keep a normal schedule and to say no.  All had dads who were very "enthusiastic" about their kid's future and, thus, also had a hard time saying no.  Four never made it out of HS due to arm issues.  One threw too much summer after junior year and his velo dropped senior year, forcing him to go the JC route where he blew his arm out first year and had to leave the game.  One was starting P for area code his junior year (along with all the other events mentioned), was high draft pick out of HS and blew his arm out first month of rookie ball. 

 

There is another in our HS system who is highly touted, recently came back from USA baseball showing in NC, already committed to a D1.  He is clearly showing fatigue but we can't convince him or dad to start saying no I believe because they have draft aspirations.  (I guess they think my pleas are self-serving for the HS but that couldn't be further from the truth.)  I have little doubt at this point that he will have more serious arm issues in the next 12-18 months. 

 

On the flip side, we recently graduated a kid who throws very well but was never interested in playing summer or showcase ball and really had little interest in playing college ball unless something fell in his lap.  So, he rarely threw outside of HS season.  He finished his HS career sitting about 86.  We talked him into spending a month or two of his post-senior summer (while his arm was still in shape) attending one local D1 college showcase tourney and playing on a local summer college team.  He ended up on a D1 roster and is now sitting low 90's.

 

I agree that part of the "epidemic" is more awareness, more reporting and better medical technology to fix problems.  And I know this is anecdotal and a small sampling but, again, it is EVERY one of the best throwers from our area.  And I hear these stories play out again and again from colleagues in other areas.  Hardly "sky is falling".  There is definitely an issue with young kids pitching too many stressful innings over the course of each year and not getting adequate rest.  And in most cases, it's the best pitchers being pulled from all directions and having a hard time saying no to the next "season", team, coach, dad, event, showcase, scout or other opportunity to be seen.