A Complete Guide to Pitch Counts

Summary

In this insightful video, Coach Dan Blewett, a former professional pitcher, dives into the crucial topic of pitch counts for youth pitchers. He emphasizes the importance of managing pitch counts not merely by numbers but by considering the stress levels of innings, player recovery, and prevailing environmental conditions. Coach Dan shares practical tips on navigating situations like high-stress innings, rain delays, or having a flame-thrower on your team, aligning with major guidelines like the Azmi Pitch Smart. This thoughtful approach is aimed at optimizing performance while minimizing injury risks, advocating for sensible pitch management tailored to each unique scenario.

Highlights

• Pitch counts must consider stress levels in innings, not just numbers. ⚾
• Coaches need to act when pitchers reach stressful pitch counts to minimize injury risks. 🚨
• The Azmi Pitch Smart guidelines offer researched insights into healthy pitching practices. 📖
• Environmental conditions, like cold weather, affect pitching endurance and safety. 🌡️
• Strong young pitchers need monitored pitch counts to avoid overuse injuries. 🎯
• Catchers who pitch should have adjusted pitch counts to reduce arm stress. 🤾‍♂️

Key Takeaways

• Pitch counts aren’t just about numbers; stress levels matter too! ⚾😉
• Knowing when to pull a pitcher can prevent injuries. Think of the big picture! 🧐
• Follow the Azmi Pitch Smart guidelines for a well-rounded approach! 📊
• Keep an eye on environmental factors like weather and recovery time! 🌦️
• Tailor your strategies for young flame-throwers to protect their future! 🚀
• Pitchers who also catch need special care to avoid injuries! 🧤

Overview

Coach Dan Blewett opens up about the intricacies of pitch counts, emphasizing that they're not just a numbers game. He stresses that understanding the stress level of each inning is pivotal. A high-stress inning, even with fewer pitches, could be more taxing than a low-stress longer inning. Coach Dan uses his experience to guide on when to pull a pitcher to prevent injuries, showing how pitch counts, when linked with situational awareness, ensure pitcher health.

Following guidelines like the Azmi Pitch Smart, Coach Dan shares wisdom from the brightest minds in baseball who prioritize pitcher longevity. It’s underlined that while pitch counts are significant, the context around those pitches is even more critical. He advises on specific strategies, such as cutting pitches after long rain delays and ensuring young, talented pitchers aren’t overused just because they have the skill to potentially overshadow their peers.

For special players who both pitch and catch, Coach Dan suggests tailored strategies to prevent overuse injuries. Catchers who also pitch should be given roles like relievers, not starters, to minimize arm stress. Tailoring pitch counts for conditions such as early season games or cold weather is also key. This nuanced approach sheds light on the complexities of managing youth pitchers, urging coaches to blend awareness with structured guidelines to nurture young talent responsibly.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Pitch Counts The chapter introduces the concept of pitch counts, emphasizing their importance in reducing the injury potential for youth pitchers. Coach Dan Blewett, a former professional pitcher, aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of pitch counts in this discussion. He indicates that merely referring to pitch count charts is insufficient and highlights the complexity involved in managing a pitching staff. The video will explore the nuances of pitch counts, distinguishing between high stress and low stress innings.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Stressful vs. Low-Stress Innings The chapter discusses the difference between stressful and low-stress innings in baseball from a coaching perspective. It highlights the importance of evaluating pitcher's performance based not only on the number of pitches but also the conditions under which they are pitching. A pitcher who throws 65 pitches over five innings while allowing only 1 or 2 runs can be cruising through the game efficiently, maintaining low-stress innings. Whereas, if a pitcher throws the same number of pitches but in only three innings and with two runners on base every inning, the situation is considered more stressful. Such stressful scenarios involve dealing with walks, doubles, and constant pressure, which can affect the pitcher's performance differently. The chapter emphasizes the need for coaches to assess these differences for better player management.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Managing Pitcher Stress and Rest This chapter discusses the concept of 'stress' in innings pitched by baseball players, emphasizing that not all pitches are equal in terms of physical and mental exertion. It highlights the importance of considering the stress levels of innings when managing pitchers' rest and game participation. The chapter explains that two pitchers may throw the same number of pitches, but the level of effort and stress involved can vastly differ. Consequently, coaches should assess the situation beyond sheer pitch count and decide when a pitcher should rest based on the stress levels experienced during their performance, potentially pulling a pitcher earlier in cases of high-stress innings.
• 03:00 - 05:00: Pitch Smart Guidelines and Building Up Pitch Counts The chapter discusses the importance of understanding the stress and context of each pitch a player makes during an inning. It emphasizes that even if a pitcher has not reached their pitch count, it may still be necessary to remove them from the game if the outing was particularly stressful, as it can have a toll on them mentally, emotionally, and physically.
• 05:30 - 06:30: Handling Interruptions During Pitching The chapter discusses how to handle interruptions during a baseball pitching scenario. It explains a situation where the pitcher faces a long at-bat and has thrown many pitches without getting an out. The speaker suggests preparing the next reliever if the pitch count in an inning reaches 20 without an out, as it can quickly escalate, leading to long and stressful innings. The strategy involves managing pitch count to prevent fatigue and maintain performance, even if a pitcher is cleared to throw a high number of total pitches in a game.
• 07:00 - 08:00: Reduced Pitch Counts for Hard Throwers In this chapter titled 'Reduced Pitch Counts for Hard Throwers,' the discussion centers on managing pitchers' workloads in baseball, particularly those who throw hard. The focus is on the importance of being cautious with pitch counts, especially when innings extend beyond their normal duration. The speaker emphasizes a critical threshold for pitch counts, indicating that if a pitcher throws more than 30 pitches in an inning, it's a strong signal to consider removing them from the game to prevent excessive stress and potential injury. The conventional inning entails around 15 pitches, so any count above 30 suggests double the normal effort and intensity, warranting careful management. The speaker's personal limit for making a definitive decision to pull the pitcher is at 40 pitches, with an inclination to act at 30 if the pitcher is visibly struggling. This approach is intended to prioritize the health and effectiveness of the pitcher by preventing overexertion in high-stress scenarios.
• 08:00 - 10:30: Pitchers Who Also Catch The chapter discusses the challenges pitchers face, especially when they are struggling with their control during a game. It emphasizes the importance of being prepared to replace a pitcher early if they are continuously throwing strikes but struggling to get outs and crossing over 20 pitches without success. In such cases, it's crucial to get a reliever ready to step in, especially when a struggling pitcher reaches the 30s in their pitch count. This approach helps protect the pitcher's best interest. A tip for young pitchers is to follow the Azmi Pitch Smart guidelines, created by some of the world's smartest minds in baseball, which are accessible on the ace website.
• 10:30 - 13:00: Early Season and Cold Weather Considerations The chapter discusses the importance of following established pitching guidelines, especially those set by experts like Dr. James Andrews, to prevent injuries among pitchers. It emphasizes cross-referencing local guidelines with the 'I Pitch Smart' guidelines to ensure the safety of young athletes.
• 13:00 - 14:00: Conclusion and Advice This chapter offers advice for managing pitchers returning from a break, whether due to injury or a long absence. The key point is to reduce their pitch count initially and gradually build it up again. It highlights the structured programs in college baseball that emphasize this gradual build-up over several months, drawing on experiences from travel academies.

A Complete Guide to Pitch Counts Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 What's up? I'm coach Dan Blewett. I'm a former pro pitcher. In today's video, I'm going to give you everything I know about pitch counts for youth pitchers. pitch counts are super important for helping to reduce injury potential. But there's a lot more to this discussion than just going through the charts and saying, okay, 40 pitches, one day of rest, 60 pitches, you know, three days of rest, etc., etc.. Pitching can be complicated. Managing or pitching staff, no matter what level you're at. So in today's video, we'll talk through everything. Pitch counts. there are high stress innings and there are low stress innings.
• 00:30 - 01:00 And as a coach, if your player has very stressful innings, you need to factor that into account. So say a pitcher goes five innings 65 pitches and he's you know, give him a 1 or 2 runs. And overall he's cruising right 12 pitches an inning, 15 pitches an inning, ten pitches an inning. Just kind of moving along, blowing through the other team. That's very different than 65 pitches where maybe the pitcher only goes three innings and it's two runners on base every inning. A couple walks a double, and you know they're pitching through
• 01:00 - 01:30 second and third, bases loaded consistently. Those are stressful innings that take a lot more out of you physically and mentally. That's not going to show up in just the pitch count. Tally. So as a coach, I would say say two pitchers both throw 60 pitches. One has a very low stress, 60, another has another high stress 60. And their pitch counts say your leash is 80 for the day. I might yank my pitcher after the high stress 60 and let my other pitcher go through the low stress 80, just because they might end up being kind of equivalent.
• 01:30 - 02:00 Because again, a pitch is not a pitch. The stress in the context of the innings that they're pitching, they definitely matter. So if your pitcher has a very stressful outing and even if they're not at their pitch count, live it. Maybe cut them a little bit short that day because, you know, it just took more out of them mentally, emotionally and physically. Never let a kid throw more than 40 pitches in an inning. And really, when they get in the 30s, you really need to think about pulling them. I've had this situation happen where my starter is typically pretty reliable, but they start the game off with two five pitch walks
• 02:00 - 02:30 and then the third hitter, you know, battle, battle, battle, eight pitches later, they walk them as well. When my pitchers get to the 20 pitch mark in an inning and they have not gotten an out, I start to get the next reliever ready because it could be a long at bat and a single along at bat and an out, and then a longer bat and another walk. And now suddenly we're quickly at 32 pitches. And that is a lot of stress. Those are very long innings. And so yes, your pitcher might be cleared to throw 80 pitches today and you might say, well, even if they have a 40
• 02:30 - 03:00 or 50 pitch first inning, they could still have, you know, three quick ten pitch innings after that. I don't let them do it. Anything above 30. You really need to think about yanking your pitcher because again, they're not getting the typical rest interval that they usually would. You know, a typical innings 15 pitches. So now they're out there for twice as long and they're in a very high stress physical and emotional situation. And that's not good. So really my cutoff is 40. And I'm really thinking about pulling my pitcher at 30 especially, especially if they're really really struggling.
• 03:00 - 03:30 Sometimes beginnings just happen and the pitcher is still throwing strikes. Those are rare. But if a pitcher is imploding with their control and they're already crossing over 20 pitches and they haven't gotten an out, you really need to get a reliever ready. And it's in that pitcher's best interest to be yanked somewhere in the 30s of their pitch count. For that inning. My next pitch count tip for young pitchers is follow the Azmi Pitch Smart guidelines. I will link below to the ace of my website. This, set of guidelines was created by some of the world's smartest minds in baseball pitches
• 03:30 - 04:00 and pitching coaches, orthopedic surgeons like Doctor James Andrews. They all weighed in and said, what is best for pitchers? Not only in the United States, but all over the world. So they released these guidelines. And even if your town has a set of guidelines, I would cross-reference them with the I pitch Smart guidelines because, again, these are the best baseball minds who deeply care about reducing injuries. And it's their best effort to say, hey, this is what you should be following if you're a youth coach. So please check out the A is My Pitch count guidelines, which I'll link to
• 04:00 - 04:30 in the description below. if pitchers are returning from a significant amount of time off, whether it's an injury or maybe they just missed two weekends, or maybe they just haven't gotten in the game for quite a while and they haven't been able to keep their pitch count up. You need to knock their pitch count back down. In college baseball, this is the first time where pitchers really have a long, you know, structured program from their school. Lots of players have this from their, you know, maybe travel academy in the winter, but especially in college, you learn that it takes a couple months to build up,
• 04:30 - 05:00 to be ready to hit the ground running and be a starting pitcher and have 60, 70, 80 pitches of a high quality for youth pitchers. They they don't usually get this build up. Often they're playing other sports in the winter. Often they just aren't with their team consistently enough where they can get there, you know, 2 or 3 bullpens a week to really build their pitch count up and their stamina. And so what happens is a lot of youth pitchers, they jump out there and they go, okay, well, you know, coach says I got to throw my starters 80 pitches right out the gate. That's not okay. They need to build up to that 60, 70, 80 pitch threshold or above if they're older.
• 05:00 - 05:30 But if they have a really big time off again, say they missed two weeks, then they're sick a week. Now it's been a month since they pitched. They their pitch count for that individual pitcher needs to get knocked down to no more than 40, and then they're going to have to build up through being in games consistently again, they have to go through it as a starter, as a reliever. Even if they were a starter. This happened to me one year in Pro Bowl. I was a starter. I had a really slight forearm injury that sat me down for four weeks, and then I was out of the starting rotation for the rest of the year because it was so hard to build me back up in the middle of the season.
• 05:30 - 06:00 If your pitcher is pitching and there's a rain delay or a lightning delay or anything more than, say, 25 minutes, it probably needs to be the end of that pitcher's night. Now, there can be exceptions. If this is your starting pitcher and they've only thrown 20 pitches, sure, you might be able to get another, you know, 40 out of them. But for most pitchers, if they've thrown at least 40 pitches in the game already and then they have this rain delay, you have to factor in, you know, they're going to have to completely rewarm up from scratch. They also had this enormous downtime that really sucks life out of your arm.
• 06:00 - 06:30 And so basically, like I would chop off essentially maybe 30 or 40 pitches off of their pitch count that you had allocated for them. If they have a really big delay in the middle of a game. So say your pitcher can go 80 pitches to your starter and he's thrown 40 and in and after those 40 after, say, the second or third inning, there's a huge lightning delay, 45 minutes. I would say if they come back in they only get 20 left. And then at that point you have to ask yourself, is this really worth it? They're probably going to be much less sharp. They're going to be mentally a lot less sharp.
• 06:30 - 07:00 It's a really tough thing to come back from. If there's a really big delay, if it's only like 15 or 20 minutes, that's still somewhat in the realm of a normal inning, right? You have a really beginning. They can be 15 minutes sometimes, but in general, if you have a big rain or lightning delay, you really need to think about bringing your next pitcher in and just calling it a day for the starting pitcher or whoever was already in the game. if you have a flame thrower on your team, you know, say you're 13, a 13 you team and you have a pitcher who throws exceptionally hard for his age. I would reduce that kid's pitch count.
• 07:00 - 07:30 Just in general, say every other starting pitcher on your team can go 80 pitches for that young man or that young woman. I would say give her Alicia's 70 or 60. So why would you do this? I think the big thing here is to understand that when pitchers mature early and they have a really like maybe a standard deviation or two more velocity than everyone else their age, they're going to get overused by pretty much every coach. And if you're a well-meaning coach and you have that really talented, hard throwing pitcher now, I would on the side of giving them less mileage as basically as little mileage as you can.
• 07:30 - 08:00 This is kind the same way major league teams sort of coddle their first round draft picks, second round draft picks when they get called up, right. Maybe they'll only give them a small workload their first summer because they pitched in the spring with their college team. This is the same kind of thing. If you're like, man, this kid's really talented, got such a good arm. I know that every other team, they're going to want to pitch him in, pitchman pitch and pitch them. And that's how a lot of these hard throwing players get injured faster than than lesser players. I think you as a coach can say, you know what, I'm just going to give them a little less mileage because also there's more velocity flowing and more force flowing through their arm in general.
• 08:00 - 08:30 So as a good practice as a coach, really consider giving your hardest throwing players a little shorter leash on the pitch count compared to other players. My next pitch count consideration is not a specific number, but is rather for pitchers and catchers. We know that catchers that also pitch are at significantly higher risk for arm injuries than players that play a different position and also pitch. When you catch, you make so many throws back to your pitcher during a game like hundreds, obviously, you know a single throw back for every pitch that the pitcher is going to throw to you.
• 08:30 - 09:00 Plus these hard throws down between innings, throws to bases, catching base stealers, all that stuff catching is very stressful. On the arm. one of my policies as a former travel academy owner is if we had a catcher who also pitch, and this is often the case because they're, you know, especially young levels, the kid who's catching often has a very good arm because he's the only one capable of catching base stealers. Right. when we had a catcher who also wanted to continue to pitch, we relegated them to being only a reliever. They could not start for us. So that was policy number one for our catchers who also pitched.
• 09:00 - 09:30 But the other thing is when you're only reliever you're only going to go maybe you know, 40 pitches on a typical day, 40 or 50. So we're not using them as our long reliever. We're using them as like a two inning reliever pretty much tops. And the other policy we had for our catchers was they're not going to pitch and catch on the same day ever. So if they start on Friday and they're catching behind the plate and we have a doubleheader Friday, they're going to sit the second game and then maybe they can pitch the next day. But we always tried to give a full day if we could. In between. So maybe our catcher would catch on Thursday, D.H.
• 09:30 - 10:00 for us on Friday, and then they'd be in relief to pitch on Saturday. Sometimes that's not possible when you only have maybe two catchers and they have to split duties, and it just doesn't work out that way. I know a lot of teams sometimes only have one primary catcher, and in that case, you really just probably should not let that kid pitch in general. But again, it's really important that if you have catchers that also pitch, it's really not a safe situation. If they're starting pitcher or if they do, they've got to go way farther apart. So maybe if you have a catcher that also pitches and they catch on Wednesday, sure, they could start a game
• 10:00 - 10:30 maybe on Saturday or Sunday, that's totally fine. But again, on a weekend tournament format, it becomes really hard when they're catching games and putting so many throws on their arm that it's best just to relegate them to being a reliever. My next tip for pitch counts for youth pitchers. And this should seem like just obvious common sense is reduced pitch counts early in the season, and reduced pitch counts if it's cold outside. And often those two things coincide. Here in the Mid-Atlantic where I live, I live in the Washington, DC area. I grew up in Maryland. It's very cold in February March, where the college season
• 10:30 - 11:00 will play, and in March April when the high school season will play. Those games can be 40 degrees, sometimes reduced pitch counts a because pitchers are not stretched out yet at the beginning of the season. That's obviously number one. But number two, it's also colder. So it's harder for their joints to retain the warmth that we want. That helps protect our body. So make sure as a coach you're not just going down the ace and my pitch count guidelines and saying okay they can throw 80 pitches. No big deal. Way to go. You know we're going to start here on March 1st.
• 11:00 - 11:30 Taper it down. Cut 20 or 30 pitches off everyone's pitch count, at least if they're a longer, you know, a starter or a long reliever. Cut them down early where they're starting the season. Hey, starters have a 60 pitch leash and relievers, you know, 30 to 40 tops. And we're not going to have any long relievers who are also going 60 only starters. And then relievers are 30 to 40. That's a sensible way to start the season with regard to your pitch counts. All right. So I hope this video on pitch counts for youth pitchers was helpful. It can be very difficult to balance your pitching staff, especially at the beginning of the season,
• 11:30 - 12:00 especially if you don't have a gigantic roster, and especially if you don't have a really big pitching staff. You want to have ten pitchers if you can, but if you don't, you need to do the best with what you have. But that still means giving kids enough rest and not over pitching them. So please be cautious with your pitch counts. Please use some of these tips here and share this video with another friend, coach, or parent who needs to know what proper usage looks like for their young athlete. Thanks again! Please subscribe to my channel if you haven't below, check out my online pitching courses and books which help support me
• 12:00 - 12:30 making more free videos like these and I'll see you here in the next video.