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My son is also a junior pitcher. Several months ago I asked on this forum whether or not to let him play fall ball. The answers I got ranged from he needs to take time off to look at this list of current pro’s that pitched/played in the fall. I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong answer.
However, this past summer I took my son to ASMI in Birmingham for a bio-mechanical evaluation. One of the things (the main thing actually) that they addressed was he that was throwing too much and needed to be shut down from all throwing. They explained that during the season you create micro tears in soft muscle tissue. However, the body has the ability heal the micro tears created during the season. However, it can only heal itself if you aren't throwing the ball. Even though an off-season throwing program, which is less intense, doesn't put a pitcher under the same amount of stress it also doesn't allow the body to heal properly. I realize that this is only their opinion and others have an opposite view. I decided that he would follow the advice of the folks running Dr. James Andrews researcher clinic.
So this year I shut him down for 2 months when school started and his summer baseball schedule ended. During this time he is working out hard trying to put on some weight. Then he will incorporate an off-season son throwing program (long-toss and weighted balls) into his training.
I wish that there was a clear manual for us to follow but there isn’t. I hope for the best whatever you decide.
My son is a college freshman. We have shutdown his throwing for 2 months each of the last couple of fall seasons. We are a big believer in that. His Fall season will end early october and he is looking forward to shutting it down completely for 2 months. He has continued to gain 4-5 mph each season, which will probably taper off from here on out.
