2024 MLB’s rule change :Amid elbow injuries to Cleveland Guardians starter Shane Bieber and Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider, the Major League Baseball Players Association expressed concern about the impact of MLB‘s rule change, referring to the pitch clock used in the 2023 season.
“Despite unanimous player opposition and notable health and security anxiety, the Commissioner’s Office decrease the length of the pitch clock last December, just one season removed from the most significant rule change in decades,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said in a statement. Released on Saturday.
“Since then, our concerns about the health implications of reduced recovery time have intensified. The league’s unwillingness to acknowledge or study the implications of these profound changes is an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset – the players.”
MLB issued the following statement in response to Clarke MLB’s rule change:
“This statement disregards the experiential evidence and the much more notable long-term trend, over multiple decades, of increment velocity and spin that is highly correlated with hand injuries. No one wants to see pitchers get injury in this game, which is why MLB is presently undergoing a remarkably comprehensive study into the causes of this long-term increase, interviewing prominent medical experts from across baseball that are consistent with an independent analysis to date. Johns Hopkins University found no evidence to backing that the introduction of pitch clocks led to an increase in injuries.
“In fact, JHU found no evidence that in 2023 those who worked faster were more likely to be injured than those who worked less early on average. JHU also found no evidence that pitchers who increased their speed were more likely to suffer injuries than those who did not.
MLB instituted a pitch clock last season that gives pitchers 15 seconds to throw with no base runners on and 20 seconds when someone is on base. In December, after a season in which games averaged 2 hours, 40 minutes, the league’s competition committee approved a change to the pitch clock rule, reducing the time with runners on base to 18 seconds.
After two dominant starts against the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners, Bieber will undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming days, ending his season. Strider reported elbow soreness after starting Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves announced Saturday that Strider will meet with a specialist to determine treatment options for the damaged UCL, which often requires Tommy John surgery.
Miami Marlins 20-year-old starter Yuri Perez learned earlier this week that he will also need Tommy John surgery.
While serious pitching injuries — especially elbow injuries — are seemingly on the rise, many point to the increase in velocity throughout the majors as the main reason.
“Well, they’re throwing harder than ever and passing the ball more than ever,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Saturday. “I don’t know. I hate it for everybody involved. That’s the biggest thing in our game, man, pitching.”
The makeup of the competition committee consists of six owners, four players and one umpire. After December’s pitch-clock adjustments, Clark noted that players were against that change.
“This afternoon, player delegates voted against the 2024 MLB’s rule change overtured by the commissioner’s office,” read Clarke’s statement. “As they have made clean to the Competition Committee, the players sharply feel that, imitation the profound changes to the fundamental rules of the game last season, more changes immediately are unnecessary and do not provide any meaningful benefit to the fans, players or the competition on the field.
“This season should be used to collect extra data and completely examine the health,security and injury impression of reduced reclamation time; That should be the focus.”