Small Question Regarding Pitcher Durability Factors

[bly08]

Was wondering if a pitcher, especially a reliever, who throws a breaking pitch as his main pitch will be less durable than ones who throw fastballs. On the other hand, do knuckleballers have longer careers and are less injury prone than most? I'm guessing this isn't a big factor either way.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by bly08

Was wondering if a pitcher, especially a reliever, who throws a breaking pitch as his main pitch will be less durable than ones who throw fastballs. On the other hand, do knuckleballers have longer careers and are less injury prone than most? I'm guessing this isn't a big factor either way.

I've seen a few knuckleball pitchers over many seasons. The good ones tend to last into their 40's. Seems realistic to me but SSS!

I'm curious about you correlating durability to pitch type. Without checking I can't remember any data suggesting a connection. My impression based on no data is the opposite. I'd suggest that powerful FB pitchers are decidedly less durable. That could just be me reading headlines.

[bly08]

Originally Posted by RchW

I'd suggest that powerful FB pitchers are decidedly less durable. That could just be me reading headlines.

That's another thing I wanted to ask. My initial impression is that the players who end up needing Tommy Johns are usually power pitchers, but the sample size is too small. Don't know if there's any correlation in real life either.

I also wanted to see if there are any causes to reliever performance fluctuations outside of random talent changes. I know that defense/BABIP/velocity/G/F% are all indicators but was wondering if pitch arsenal has anything to do with it. It would seem that those who don't rely on pure heat are more immune to velocity drops and should thus be more consistent.

[Curve Ball Dave]

Pitching, regardless of the type of pitch, is a danger to your arm. Few pitchers can straighten their arm all the way by the time their done. I can't, and I have permanent nerve damage in my elbow simply from the decades of throwing.

Having said that, all things being equal, a fastball is less likely to damage something. Breaking balls of any kind mean snapping wrists sideways and that puts terrible strain on the tendons that start in your fingers and run the length of your arm. Elbows in particular are at high risk with breaking pitches because that wrist snap will be felt in the elbow and that's were the ulnar nerve damage and bone chips/spurs happen. It was the horrific tendonitis/bursitis in my elbow that caused me change from a traditional curve ball to a knuckle/spike/one finger whatever you want to call it curve as this kind does not require a sideways wrist snap.

I personally think today's pitchers are blowing out their arms because they don't use their lower body ala Seaver, Ryan, Lolich, and many others who pitched three hundred innings a year without arm trouble. Legs are far stronger than arms, and better to use those big leg muscles to generate power than those small arm muscles.