06-12-2023, 03:18 AM
Just like some people get CTE from hits to head and some don’t, not everyone who throws a lot of pitches is going to ruin their arm. It depends on several factors, including number of pitches thrown at maximum effort, types of pitches thrown, mechanics of throwing motion, to name a few. One outing with a relatively high pitch count isn’t going to lead to injury if the pitches are not too stressful.
I’d be far more concerned about Matthews going pro and whoever drafts him trying to tinker with his arm and delivery to add more velocity to his throws. He seems to have an easy smooth delivery now and it looks to my eye like he actually throws harder than it suggests. I wouldn’t want him taught to throw harder. Pitching is about changing speed, location, eye level of batter, and control. Matthews is a Pitcher more than a thrower, which makes him more capable of throwing 156 pitches than most of his peers I imagine.
I’d be far more concerned about Matthews going pro and whoever drafts him trying to tinker with his arm and delivery to add more velocity to his throws. He seems to have an easy smooth delivery now and it looks to my eye like he actually throws harder than it suggests. I wouldn’t want him taught to throw harder. Pitching is about changing speed, location, eye level of batter, and control. Matthews is a Pitcher more than a thrower, which makes him more capable of throwing 156 pitches than most of his peers I imagine.