Youth baseball doesn’t have to
harm our children!
"It’s horrific."
That’s how Tommy John, who pitched 26 years in the
major leagues, described to Sporting News the epidemic
that is plaguing youth baseball players who are
undergoing the surgery named after him to repair a torn
ulnar collateral ligament their elbows.
Of surgeries to repair the UCL, 57 percent are performed
on kids ages 15-19, yet many parents believe they have
the next Max Scherzer or Clayton Kershaw on their
hands. As children push the envelope to attain their
dreams, how many parents and youth coaches will fail to
follow what should be basic principles of health
management to guard against injury?
Fewer than 1 percent of high school baseball players are
drafted to play professionally. The percentage increases
for college baseball players to just over 10 percent.
Frankly, those odds are terrible, and that’s just to be
drafted and play in the minors, not reach the big leagues.