Velocity training has pushed pitchers to their limits. Baseball is grappling with the injury risks
Associated Press
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FILE - Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Tayler Saucedo uses a weighted ball to warm up in the bullpen before a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, March 6, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)FILE - Kansas City Royals pitcher Evan Sisk throws a weighted ball against the bullpen wall to warm up during a spring training baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, March 6, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)FILE - San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Festa warms up with a weighted ball during spring training baseball workouts Feb. 18, 2024, in Peoria, Ariz. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)FILE - San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove throws a weighted ball against a pad to warm up during spring training baseball workouts Feb. 18, 2024, in Peoria, Ariz. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)FILE - A member of the Oakland Athletics warms up with a weighted ball in the bullpen before a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, March 1, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert warms up with a weighted ball before a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Seattle. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert warms up with a weighted ball before a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Seattle. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)FILE - Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander throws during a spring training baseball workout Feb. 15, 2017, in Lakeland, Fla. Long before he became a three-time Cy Young Award winner, Verlander was a high schooler who could not consistently muster the arm strength needed to get drafted. So he went to college, took the time he required to mature as a pitcher via traditional training methods, and eventually developed an arm that pushed him from prospect into major leaguer and ultimately an ace. (AP Photo/Matt Rourk, File)
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FILE - Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Tayler Saucedo uses a weighted ball to warm up in the bullpen before a spring training baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, March 6, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs often using series of progressively weighted baseballs in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
