Why Training with Heavier or Lighter Baseballs Could Help Pitchers Throw Faster

For today's baseball pitchers, velocity is king. The average speed of a major league fastball in 2019 was 93.4 mph, compared with 90.9 mph in 2008, according to FanGraphs. Such unprecedented speed is changing the game -- and the drive to throw ever faster may also be risking the safety of younger players dreaming of the majors.

Now a recent study with youth players points to a potentially safer alternative: lighter baseballs.

The study, published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine in March, is preliminary and limited. But, "it should start the discussion of whether lighter balls should be implemented instead of overweight balls," said Brandon Erickson, an orthopedic surgeon at the Rothman Orthopedic Institute in New York, who led the research.

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