Being an ex-pitcher, I can tell you that in most cases a pitcher only has so many tosses in his arm. Unlike a fastpitch softball pitcher using the windmill motion, the strain on the arm is tremendous, and the overhand throwing motion is just not natural. There were many more pitchers who ended their careers at a young age because of arm problems in the past, than there are today. Being from Detroit, I will just name three. First is Denny McLain who in 1968 won 31 games, then there was Les Cain and finally Mark Fidrych aka "The Bird"; All very young, very talented pitchers. Now, I will be the first to agree that there were other circumstances with a couple of these guys that may have led to the problems they suffered from, but the bottom line for each is a promising career ended prematurely. In many of these cases, the players were young and their arms not fully developed. That leads me to the question of physical maturity. When you watch some of the modern era pitchers, their innings pitched seem to increase as they grow a little older, and then once again decrease as they near the end of their careers.

When speaking of athletes there are exceptions to the rule. Roy Halladay is one, as is Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers. As I watch today's pitchers one thing comes to mind and I think it causes issues with current pitchers.

Using the legs to drive off the mound is paramount to increasing velocity. It also reduces the strain on the shoulder of the pitcher. Too many athletes today no longer do this. Their teams have required them to use the "SLIDE STEP" in their delivery. In my opinion this puts undue additional stress on their arm as they attempt to maintain the velocity of their pitches, and give the catcher more time to toss out base-runners. If they returned to the old ways where the pitcher could use a bit more leverage when throwing, I believe you could see more pitchers finishing games. Also note that lowering the mound has been a disadvantage to the pitcher as has the reduction of the strike zone; a change not implemented in the rule book. All these things are additional obstacles the current day pitcher has to overcome.

Finally, with the use of specialized players, the set-up man, the closer, etc. Managers have come to change the game of pitching. Even the requirements for a “Quality Start" have been lowered.

Bottom line is that yes the current athletes on the whole are bigger and stronger and should be able to throw more complete games and innings. They are just not being allowed to for many of the reasons I have mentioned.

Watch the video below. It is not so much about the subject as it is about one of the players I mentioned. It is a great little tidbit on Mantle and McLain and the respect of a great player.

I think the argument that teams pamper their pitchers is certainly a valid one, but it does beg the question of why? Certainly some of it is the amount of money they invest in an individual pitcher, especially when you take into account the indirect money that is spent developing them in the minor leagues. There is also the factor of not wanting a guy they think can be one of their better pitchers for a decade breaking down from overuse three years into their career.

Roy Halladay is a different kind of animal, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he decided to go as long as he possibly could. Pitch counts have certainly gotten more attention than they have in the past. I certainly don’t remember watching the game as a kid, and going, “hmm, Ryan just threw his 130th pitch of the game, I think it’s time to take him out. It seems like it used to be more of a gut decision, like “he looks tired”, as opposed to “he sure has thrown a lot of pitches”.

I think that the investments teams make (as in super high salaries) in talented pitchers makes them take fewer risks than in decades past. Pitching puts a lot of strain on the body, and pitchers today are throwing harder and faster than any time in the past. Players (and their agents) want to maximize earning potential over time, so between teams wanting to keep their pitchers sharp and healthy and players wanting to pitch as long as possible, the 5-pitcher rotation and limited pitch counts result in a larger reliance on the bullpen.