MLB can look at the pitch clock as a possible factor as it continues to investigate the pitching-injury epidemic — and they’ve been investigating since October, with more than 100 interviewed so far — but here’s what folks around the game say are the real culprits.
- Chasing velocity the wrong way (the rise of throwing academies that overemphasize velocity could be a culprit).
- Violent, unhealthy deliveries.
- Max-effort bullpens, even in spring (because data is being recorded).
- High-pressure games starting at 10 years old.
- Specializing in baseball only from an early age (few multisport athletes).
- An emphasis on speed and strikeouts in deciding who to draft, who to sign and who to pay.
Shohei Ohtani’s only crime appears to be poor taste in friends and an utter lack of knowledge regarding finances, as authorities agree that former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was the sports bettor who diverted millions — $16M at last count — from Ohtani’s account to pay his own gambling debts.
MLB plans to interview Ohtani as soon as the U.S. Attorney’s Office wraps things up and also hopes to speak to Mizuhara, though Mizuhara has no obligation to talk to MLB. Hopefully for his chat, Ohtani will bring a better interpreter.