Why I Don’t Let My Son Pitch in Little League

Pitching injuries are real, and you shouldn’t let your kid pitch in rec when he’s also pitching for a club travel team.

My 11-year old plays on a club travel team, where he’s one of our main pitchers and throws most weekends. He’s also plays for our intra-town Little League. But unlike the parents of the other kids who also play both travel and Little League, I refuse let my kid pitch in Little League at all.

Why Pitching for Multiple Teams Can Lead to Pitching Injuries

Every parent of a youth pitcher should read up on the link between overuse and serious arm injuries. A seminal 2012 National Institute of Health (“NIH”) study looked into the issue and found:

• The risk factor with the strongest correlation to injury is amount of pitching.
• Pitching while fatigued and pitching for concurrent teams are also associated with increased risk.

The NIH study issued the following guidelines for youth pitchers:

1. Watch and address signs of fatigue
2. No throwing for at least two to three months per year
3. Cap pitching at 100 innings for any calendar year
4. Adhere to applicable pitch count rules
5. Avoid pitching on multiple teams with overlapping seasons
6. Learn good throwing mechanics
7. Don’t use radar guns with your kid
8. Pitchers shouldn’t also catch
9. If your kid complains of elbow or shoulder pain, shut him down immediately and take him to a doctor
10. Have your kid play multiple sports and don’t play baseball exclusively

The Chances Your Kid is Going to Need Tommy John Surgery

In a July 2020 ABC News story about the “epidemic” of arm injuries in young pitchers, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, an orthopedic surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian, states: “[t]he ligament [in the pitching elbow] is like a wire hanger and if you bend it enough times, it will finally break.”

In addition, an April 2016 Washington Post Article on pitching injuries reveals that out of all the “Tommy John” elbow surgeries performed from 2007-2011, more than half were done on teenaged pitchers. The piece also lets us know that kids who regularly pitched while fatigued, because, for example, they pitched for multiple teams, “were 36 times (!) as likely as other pitchers to undergo shoulder or elbow surgery.”

Why You Can’t Trust Your Coach to Protect Your Kid’s Arm

Most youth baseball coaches will give you an Indiana Jones “trust me” if you voice your concerns about your kid being overused.

However, a May 2012 Sports Health study quizzed 95 Little League coaches about the applicable pitching guidelines. The results of the quiz were terrifying. More than half the coaches didn’t even know what the pitch count rules were. Further, some coaches also admitted that they pitched kids with sore and fatigued arms.

And note that this study interviewed Little League coaches. Imagine what the responses would be from uber-competitive travel coaches.

Also, any parent of a travel pitcher knows that while coaches might talk a good game about observing the pitch count rules, and protecting young arms, those rule often go out the window at the end of a close game when your kid staying in might mean the difference between winning and losing.

The Human Side of Pitching Injuries

It’s easy to think about pitching injuries as something that happens to other parents’ kids. But go on to YouTube and you’ll see many boys who resemble your son having to undergo Tommy John surgery. For example:

And this one, too:

The Pitching Rules Say Yes, But My Heart (And Mind) Say No

My son’s 11, so the following 14-and-under Little League pitching rules apply to him.

If a player pitches:

• 66 or more pitches in a day, four calendar days of rest must be observed.
• 51-65 pitches in a day, three calendar days of rest must be observed.
• 36-50 pitches in a day, two calendar days of rest must be observed.
• 21-35 pitches in a day, one calendar days of rest must be observed.
• 1-20 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required.

We have weekend travel games, and there have been times that my son has been eligible under these rules to pitch in a midweek Little League game.

I still hold him out, because:

1. Extra rest for his arm can’t be a bad thing (see above)
2. Most Little League players can barely swing a bat, so what’s the point in throwing him

He Didn’t Pitch, and We Lost

The Pirates, our Little League team, are currently 0-5, largely because I haven’t let them pitch my son. The other teams, the ones with the wins, put in travel kids with tired arms to pitch, and these kids mow down most of the players in our overmatched lineup. Our pitchers then struggle through long laborious innings, with multiple walks and many runs.

“It’s all about progress,” the coach tell our kids out in left field immediately after the games. “And even though we didn’t win, I definitely see progress.”

“Can I pitch today?” my son asks me during another horrible loss.

It sucks, but I tell him no.

Do You Let Your Travel Kid Pitch in Little League? Let Us Know Why in the Comments.

For information about the emotional side of baseball, see:

• How to Manage Your Kid’s Baseball Tantrums and Meltdowns
• Anger Management and Youth Baseball: How to Calm Down
• How to Stop Being a Crazy Baseball Dad
• 5 Ways Youth Baseball Teams Cheat, and How to Respond
• 4 Ways to Respond to a Coach Playing Favorites
• How to Be a Good Baseball Dad in the Backyard
• How to Deal with Umpires in Youth Baseball
• Is It Now Fashionable to Hate On Baseball Dads?

For information on hitting, see:

• How to Get Out of a Hitting Slump
• 4 Best Baseball Batting Aids (No. 3 is Free)
• 4 Hitting Drills You Need to Do Before Every Game
• 4 Old School Baseball Drills You Need to Be Using

For more information on pitching, see:

• What You Need to Know About Little League Elbow
• 4 Ways To Increase Your Kid’s Pitching Velocity
• Why I Don’t Let My Son Pitch in Little League
• Is the Circle Change Dangerous for Youth Pitchers?
• Pitching and Head Injuries: What You Need to Know
• How to Make Sure Your Kid Isn’t Overpitched in Baseball

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