Playing Catch in Winter Could Save Kids’ Pitching Arms

According to a new study at Methodist Hospital in Houston, playing catch with your young pitcher months before baseball season can help prevent an increasingly common pediatric pitching pitfall: torn rotator cuff injuries.

The data suggest that two factors - a high pitch count and throwing curve balls — increases the risk of shoulder pain in young pitchers. Easing into baseball season by beginning an early practice in December may help reduce the risk of such shoulder injuries.