As a summer coach for 17-18 yr. old guys, my coaching staff and I have always been very careful about our pitcher's arms early in the season. We figure if they are playing for us, they are the #1 or #2 guy on their respective high school teams. #1 and #2 guys in MD usually pitch every 5 days in high school. With a 20-25 game schedule, the innings add up.
When they come to us for summer ball, which starts around Memorial Day, we have stuck to a rule of not allowing any of our starting pitchers to throw more than 70 pitches in any of their first 3 starts. With some of them stopping in mid-May (playoffs start then, and many are eliminated early on), they get some down time, then they build back up during the early part of the season with us. Even at full strength (well into our summer season), we have rarely allowed a guy to throw more than 100 pitches.
Our team is not a showcase team. Our team plays to win a league championship. Our regular season is 7 weeks long. We figure on focusing on winning the championship during the last 4 weeks, as opposed to the first 3. I have had parents ask me why we have taken a pitcher out early in the season, even though he was cruising right along. I explained the 70 pitch rule, and some have questioned the benefit of this vs. the cost to the team and winning early. We have very capable relief pitchers, who for the most part, get the job done. I guess some of the parents worry this could backfire and get us in a hole with regards to the rest of the league, which has never really happened over the past 15 years.
What do you folks think of our rule?
Original Post
