by Justin Dunbar, Website Manager
“The more you play, the better you’ll be”. This is one of the worst myths in baseball. Players overwork themselves by playing year-round baseball, hoping that by doing so, it will give them a competitive edge against other aspiring athletes. The goal for most is to play college baseball, and some even have the desire to play in the Major Leagues. However, players who try to constantly play year-round baseball end up putting their careers in jeopardy. Why? The injury bug, which continues to haunt more and more young players by ending their careers way too soon.
While baseball may seem like a no-contact sport with a no injury risk, it is quite the opposite. In fact, 25% of Major League Baseball (MLB) players end up needing
Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) Reconstruction, also known as the Tommy John surgery, where a torn UCL inside an elbow is repaired. According to Forbes, there is a direct correlation between youth baseball injuries and MLB injuries; between 2007 and 2011, youth baseball players had a 10% increase in UCL injuries, which ultimately lead to Tommy John surgery. With more players committing to playing year-round baseball, the injury risk is significantly higher. Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Glenn Fleisig’s research found that children and teenagers who pitched regularly while fatigued were 36 times more likely to need major arm surgery (Forbes).
However, it’s not just pitchers who are vulnerable to major arm injuries. Players of every position are constantly putting a lot of stress on their arms with every throw they make. Major League infielders, such as Corey Seager of the Dodgers and Zack Cozart of the Angels, have needed procedures on their arms in recent years. This should be a warning for players who think that the risks of year-round baseball don’t apply to them. Players are having their careers put in jeopardy for believing in this myth. Having the dreaded Tommy John surgery takes at least a year to recover from, maybe more, and they are constantly at risk of suffering another injury afterward.
So what’s the problem with taking some time off? In everything you do, it’s important to take time off mentally. This gives you a chance to continually enjoy playing baseball and not put yourself at risk for injuries to other parts of your body from the substantial amount of repetition. Most importantly, though, taking a couple months off to rest your arm may be the answer to saving it for the future. Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz said at his ceremony that he wants to “encourage the families and parents that are out there that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old… baseball is not a year-round sport … they’re competing and maxing out too hard, too early, and that’s why we’re having these problems.” Smoltz was able to pitch for 21 years and 473 innings in the Majors. Therefore, it may be a good idea to listen to his advice.
Playing year-round baseball is not the answer when trying to earn a baseball scholarship or even play in the pros. All it ends up doing is putting your arm at extreme risk, and thus, putting your career in jeopardy. With injuries becoming more and more frequent throughout baseball, we can no longer ignore this issue. You can potentially set yourself up for a long career of baseball without constantly dealing with injuries simply by occasionally taking a month off of baseball.
