Spencer Strider's spin on pitching epidemic is a recipe for failure

Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider has unfortunately become the poster child for the recent injury epidemic impacting MLB hurlers. Strider underwent another elbow surgery and is set to miss the 2024 season as a result.

While Strider was able to avoid a second Tommy John altogether, Shane Bieber and other prominent starters around baseball weren't as lucky. This has prompted discussion across the sport as to what can really be done to curb such issues in the future. The race for velocity and the pitch clock have thus far been the main culprits in what coaches and executives deem one of the toughest problems facing MLB right now.

Strider opened up to The Athletic ($) about his own injury, suggesting he hates the talking points and hot takes it has spurred in the weeks since his ailment was announced.

“Yeah, there’s just so many people in any topic, in any field, that are being a little disingenuous and probably speaking out of their depth,” Strider said. “You know, we want to solve this problem. I also think there’s an element of randomness to injuries. If instead of the game’s top pitchers, it was a bunch of guys that nobody’s heard of, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation.”

Spencer Strider's wait-and-see approach will only hurt MLB more

Strider is coming from a good place, but even he acknowledged there is a problem. Despite lower pitch counts and increased work from the bullpen, starting pitchers are getting injured at a higher rate than ever.

Pitchers are asked to throw harder and faster from a young age. At the middle and high school levels, pitchers throw year round, whether it be for school or travel teams. This leads to more wear and tear on the arm, and by the time they reach the MLB level the question is when, not if, they'll need some form of reconstructive surgery. Few pitchers can avoid that fate these days, and they ought to count their lucky stars.

The fast implementation of new rules like the pitch clock and the ban of certain sticky stuff forces starting pitchers to learn on the fly, all the while continuing to throw at max velocity every time out. Elbows and arms were not build to sustain such stress over the course of decades.

“Like I said, it’s a long (discussion),” Strider later acknowledged. “I think you need to wait to see the whole season play out. If guys are still getting hurt at the same rate, then yeah, I mean, there’s probably a larger conversation (that) needs to happen."

The longer MLB waits to act, the more their on-field product could deteriorate. A wait-and-see approach is not the answer Strider thinks it is, even if patience can often pay off for him on the mound itself.