Pedro Martinez blames "baby ligaments" for rash of pitcher injuries in MLB

BOSTON -- The recent elbow injuries to big-name pitchers like Spencer Strider and Shane Bieber, along with numerous elbow injuries across baseball, have led many fans and media members to wonder what has changed about the game that's leading to Tommy John surgery becoming so commonplace.

Pedro Martinez has an idea.

The Hall of Famer weighed in on the matter via his X/Twitter account, saying that young pitchers are forced to reach maximum velocity and spin rate before their bodies are ready for such rigorous strain. Specifically, Martinez targeted underworked -- or "baby" -- ligaments for the injuries.

"When we see so many up and coming MLB pitchers with fewer than 200 innings in the minors, lots of muscle mass, underworked baby ligaments and a team demanding max velo on everything they throw, we're seeing the perfect lethal combination for arm injury," Martinez wrote. "The analytics department has forced the young kids by pressuring them to have revolution, velocity and spin rate…that's too much for baby ligaments."

A three-time Cy Young winner and an eight-time All-Star, Martinez generated plenty of velocity from his 5-foot-11 frame during his career. He also avoided significant injury until his mid-30s, and he credits his avoidance of heavy weight lifting for that durability.

"When in the minors I focused on working my ligaments; I never lifted heavy weights," Martinez said. "Time has changed, and so has training, but if you want to become a pitcher, you should strive to learn the feel for pitching and the knowledge of what to do with the ball rather than throwing hard."

It is an interesting perspective, and Martinez now joins Tom Brady in the category of Hall of Fame Boston athletes to espouse the benefits of pliability over muscle gain.

There may actually be no one specific answer for the problem, and there will always be an element of injury when it comes to throwing baseballs with an overhand motion while trying to hit 100 mph on the radar gun. But the perspective of Martinez -- who played in a different generation of pitching philosophy but remains active in the game as a special assistant to the Red Sox front office and an analyst on TBS and MLB Network -- is certainly an interesting one as teams try to evaluate how to best move forward without an advanced risk of injury for pitchers.