Would Lowering the Mound Prevent Arm Injuries?

[Mass Haas]

Brewers Team Doctor's Study:

 

Lower Pitcher's Mound Will Reduce Baseball Injuries

[rluzinski]

Interesting study. It's generally a given that a pitcher's fastball will be faster off a mound than on flat surface, no? We'd expect some increase in the forces the joints are subjected to, then. Does throwing off a mound simply result in a more inefficient throwing motion?

[DrWood]

a problem with the study is that the pitchers are habituated to the higher mound. If they got used to a lower mound, they might throw slightly differently. I dunno. What do you want? Pitchers aren't exactly dominating hitters right now. Do you want to take away one of their advantages?

[DuWayne Steurer]

I think there's got to be a way they could compensate for the lack of height. Move the pitching rubber in a few feet, something.

 

It's all just talk anyways, as baseball is slower than molasses running uphill in January when it comes to instituting change in the way the game is played on the field.

[homer]

I think the act of throwing a baseball is just completely unnatural joint movement. I don't think mound height would have a significant impact on that.

[logan82]

It sounds like a mound makes the stride longer and I would guess makes the duration of the stress on the joints longer for each throw.

[Fatter than Joey]

Here is Dr. Mike Marshall's thoughts on this....

 

Dear Sir,

 

That Dr. Raasch cares what Nolan Ryan has to say about anything

proves that he is not a research scientist.

 

That Dr. Raasch does not understand that baseball pitchers spend

years to master their baseball pitching motion with regard to the height

of the mound, such that, when they threw on lower mounds, their pitching

rhythm would remain the same as they have used for years proves that he

does not understand motor skill acquisition.

 

Basically, this (research) study is ridiculous.

 

The cause of the unnecessary stress on the pitching shoulder and

elbow lies in the injurious flaws inherent in the 'traditional' baseball

pitching motion, not the height of the baseball pitching mound.

 

The cure for rupturing the Ulnar Collateral Ligament is for

'traditional' baseball pitchers to pendulum swing their pitching hand

all the way up to driveline height in one smooth, continuous movement.

 

The cure for irritating the front of the pitching shoulder is for

'traditional' baseball pitchers to move their pitching hand to driveline

height at the same time that their glove foot lands.

 

Therefore, lowering the mound would not decrease pitching arm

injuries and practicing pitching off flat ground between pitching off

the mound in competitive games, because of the muscle memory that

baseball pitchers develop relative to pitching off mounds, would

increase pitching arm injuries.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Mike Marshall

[sbrylski]

Who's "Sir" in the letter?

 

I trust Marshall's thoughts.

[Fatter than Joey]

Who's "Sir" in the letter?

 

Me -- I asked him what he thought.

 

I demand that sort of respect from Cy Young winners.

[Blindcheck]

If we presume the theory is true....Is the reason for the higher rate of injuries because of the elevation or the fact that they are on a mound that is graduated...

 

If it is because the mound is graduated, could they solve the issue by throwing off of a mound that is more of a plateau...so the Pitcher has a flat surface as a landing area before they the mound is graduated.

[TooLiveBrew]

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Marshall

 

FtJ, thanks for that -- I actually was just going to post about Marshall - first thing that popped into my head.

 

For those interested, there are some really intriguing videos out there on Marshall's pitching motion... and basically how he's been laughed off for years now.