Elephant Rumblings: Has baseball’s velocity obsession gone too far?

MLB news roundup

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

When I think of former A’s fireballers that couldn’t stay healthy enough to fulfill their potential, I think first of Rich Harden. He had great stuff when he wasn’t broken, but he only pitched over 150 innings once in his nine-year career. Harden’s fastball typically sat in the mid-90s, though he occasionally touched triple digits, so by 2024 standards he didn’t really throw that hard.

Still, pitchers like Harden may have offered a cautionary tale for players and managers that have become increasingly fixated on chasing ever higher pitch velocity over the years. But such warnings have clearly not been heeded: the rate of four-seem fastballs thrown 95+ mph has more than doubled since 2011, Harden’s last MLB season.

As it happens, one of the pitchers setting the new high bar for velocity is Athletics closer Mason Miller. The Reaper was developed as a starting pitcher coming up through the minors, but he was shut down for a UCL sprain less than a month after his MLB debut in April 2023. He returned in September and has worked primarily as a reliever since then. So injuries altered the course of Mason’s career before his 2024 rookie campaign even began.

We love to watch Miller pitch. He routinely throws 100+, touches 103, and has a filthy slider, to boot. All of this puts a great deal of strain on the arm, elbow, and shoulder. Let’s admit it: we’re scared to death that Mason might not have a ton of bullets left before his next lengthy IL stint.

Yesterday, MLB released a study that—surprise—cites velocity as the primary cause of a recent spike in pitching injuries. Jesse Rogers at ESPN has a thorough report up on the study’s findings.

Top starters used to get worn out from throwing 300+ innings, but the league eventually wisened up and began limiting workloads to keep pitchers healthier. So now that evidence is mounting on the dangers of so much emphasis on velocity, will the next big push be towards developing more masters of finesse and control like Catfish Hunter?

I wouldn’t hold my breath.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics 2024 Season In Review: Will Klein
• Third Base Options For The A’s
• A’s Sign Former Colorado Rockies Left-Hander
• What Will the A’s Do Next?
• Could the A’s be interested in this Atlanta Braves pitcher?

MLB News & Interest:

• MLB study identifies factors for rise in pitching injuries
• Florida county votes to OK financing for new $1.3B Rays ballpark
• Why are MLB’s free-agent contracts often beating projections this offseason? ($)
• Yankees Acquire Cody Bellinger
• Yankees Sign Max Fried
• Rise of the National League: Big-spender owners shift balance of power away from the AL ($)
• Red Sox Projected As Front Runner To Sign Alex Bregman
• Braves, Jordan Weems Agree To Minor League Deal
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

A happy milestone.

It’s good to believe in oneself.

A Paige from history.

Is Dazed and Confused II finally coming out?