Why Pitch Counts Alone Won’t Protect Your Pitcher
The Real Story Behind Workload, Overuse & Injury Risk You’ll Rarely Hear In Conventional Baseball Circles Regardless of the Level
Over the last 15 years or so, pitch counts have become the go-to solution for managing workload and preventing injuries in pitchers, especially in amateur baseball.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Pitch counts do have value. They give us an objective measure of how much a specific pitcher has thrown. But here’s the catch...
In my experience, pitch counts are a double-edged sword. They can be helpful. But without absolutely critical context, they can also lead coaches and parents to make very poor assumptions and risky decisions.
Learning from a Pro
One of my closest friends, Brent Strom, is a long time MLB pitching coach and one of the most respected minds in the game. When he was working as a minor league coordinator, he was constantly reviewing reports and data to decide if pitchers were being used appropriately across the organization.
But here’s what made Brent different: he didn’t just look at pitch counts.
He looked at the full picture: age, experience, injury history, recent outings, mechanical efficiency, stress levels during the game, even weather conditions. Every outing was evaluated in context. And as a result, his decisions were smarter, safer, and more individualized.
“Whether the pitcher is your son or the the ace of a Major League staff…trust is the highest praise anyone can give a coach, and that is what I feel for Ron and the Ranch.”- Brent Strom
Now, I get it. Most amateur coaches don’t have access to the same resources or data Strommy did.
But here’s the thing: you don’t need a professional scouting department to think critically about a pitch count.
A Simple Example That Changes Everything
Let me give you a scenario to show what I mean.
Imagine two 16-year-old twins. They’re identical in every way: same arm health, same training background, same mechanical efficiency.
One weekend, Twin A throws 110 pitches. Twin B throws 55.
At first glance, most people would say, “Wow, 110 pitches? That’s a lot. Better keep an eye on Twin A.”
But now I’ll add a little context.
Twin A threw a complete 7-inning game, spreading those 110 pitches across the entire outing. That’s about 15–16 pitches per inning.
Twin B? He threw all 55 pitches in 1 2/3 inning.
Still think Twin B had the lighter day?
Not even close. He had the far more stressful outing. That’s what I mean when I say context matters.
Let’s Step Outside of Baseball for a Moment
Say two athletes are tasked with doing 105 sit-ups. One does 15 sit-ups at a time, takes a 20-minute break, and repeats that 7 times. The other does all 105 in one go, no breaks.
Same number of reps, but if you asked them afterward how it felt, you’d get very different answers.
The total workload was the same. The intensity and stress were not. That's exactly the problem with how pitch counts are used today…they miss the how, not just the how much.
The Deeper You Go, the More It Matters
Now, imagine adding even more variables to our twin pitchers, maybe one is coming off a minor elbow issue; One has been ramping up slowly all spring. Maybe it’s 95 degrees outside and he’s dehydrated, or one of them just threw a high-stress, high volume playoff game the week before.
Suddenly, the pitch count alone feels like a pretty thin data point, doesn’t it?
It should.
If you walk away from this with one takeaway, I hope it’s this: pitch counts are a tool…not a conclusion. In my opinion pitch counts are an individual measure of workload and NOT an universal one.
So What Should You Actually Do?
I’m not saying pitch counts are useless. Far from it. But they were never meant to be a one-size-fits-all solution.
Start with them. Use them to guide decisions. But always look for and add context.
Watch how your pitcher is moving. Ask how they’re feeling. Track how many high-effort innings they’ve thrown recently. Pay attention to how they recover between outings. Pay attention to their average fastball velocities from inning to inning and outing to outing.
One simple habit I recommend is watching pitches per inning, not just total pitch count. A pitcher who throws 80 pitches over three innings is under a lot more stress than someone who throws 100 over seven or eight.
And here’s another tip: in early season outings, keep pitch counts lower and build slowly. Start with one inning below 24 pitches and increase gradually based on how the athlete feels and responds.
One red flag to look for? A single inning with more than 30–35 pitches. If that happens, strongly consider shutting it down for the day, no matter what the total pitch count looks like.
My Take on “Overuse”
You’ll hear the word “overuse” a lot in medical circles. It’s become the default explanation for arm injuries in baseball.
But here’s my honest belief: most injuries aren’t simply about overuse, they’re more about the under-preparation for the specific demands of that particular situation and circumstance. The athlete wasn’t physically, mechanically, or neurologically ready for the specific stress of that outing.
I suggest we stop using pitch counts as our primary tool in protecting our athletes and instead start preparing them to better adapt to stresses they will be facing and make their ramp up be far more gradual and far longer.
When the intensity or duration of the outing exceeds what the athlete is physically prepared to handle, that’s when problems arise. And no pitch count alone will protect you from that.
The Whole Picture Matters
So the next time someone says, “He only threw 50 pitches, he’s fine,” or “That kid threw 100 pitches, he’s being overused,” I suggest you respond with what I believe is something much more honest and helpful:
“Pitch counts can definitely be helpful. But without all important context…without looking at the full picture… the athlete’s history, his preparation, how those pitches were distributed inside the game itself, the stress of the outing etc……we’re just guessing. And I don’t want to guess when it comes to a kid’s arm health and I’m sure you don’t want that either.”
At the very least, it'll make for an interesting conversation.
It’s not about being difficult. It’s about being responsible and doing right by the athlete. Because when it comes to keeping arms healthy and building durable, high-performing pitchers, the easy answer usually isn’t the right one.
Until next time,
Stay curious. Keep asking better questions. And keep fighting the good fight.
Coach Ron Wolforth
PS. Want a free copy of The Case Against Weighted Balls? Simply CLICK HERE.
Coach Ron Wolforth is the founder of The Texas Baseball Ranch® and has authored six books on pitching, including the Amazon Best Seller Pitching with Confidence. Since 2003, The Texas Baseball Ranch® has had 141 of their players drafted, and 651 have broken the 90 mph barrier. Coach Wolforth has consulted with 13 MLB teams, numerous NCAA programs, and is often referred to as “America’s Go-To Guy on Pitching.”
Coach Wolforth lives in Montgomery, TX with his wife, Jill. They are intimately familiar with youth select, travel baseball and PG events as their son Garrett (now a professional player) went through the process. Garrett a former catchers in the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros organization still holds the PG Underclass All-American Games record for catcher velocity at 89mph which he set in 2014 at the age of 16.
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Coach Wolforth will be hosting a special 90 minute webinar - "The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy" Thursday at 7pm CST. If you'd like to sign up for the webinar, please email info@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a registration link.
Fall/Winter Events at the Texas Baseball Ranch®
Calling all youth pitchers and families! Once a year the coaches at TBR take a break from working with high school, college and professional athletes to focus on the special age group of 8-12 year olds. This year’s 2-day youth camp will be Oct. 4 & 5. For more information, visit https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/youth-elite-pitchers-bootcamp/.
Join our 3-Day “Elite Pitcher’s Boot Camps” designed for pitchers ages 12 and above. These events are the gold standard in the baseball industry and are held every month from September-February. For additional details and dates, visit:
https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/elite-pitchers-bootcamp/
Interested in learning what sets our boot camps apart? Request our comprehensive information package “What Makes This Bootcamp Different?" by emailing Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com
Free Book Offer: Want a free copy of Coach Wolforth’s book, Pitching with Confidence?
Visit: www.freepitchingbook.com.
From the Greater Houston area? Join us for our Fall/Winter classes or private training.
For more information, email: info@TexasBaseballRanch.com or call (936)588-6762.