Behind the Seams III | Page 35

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.