Inquiring minds want to know: is the Nick Pivetta injury the result of the Red Sox new pitching strategies?
Well, let’s give you our spin.
And the answer is probably.
The truth, of course, is we don’t know. But let’s examine the facts. Now in his eighth major league season, the 31-year-old Pivetta has made 198 career appearances including 154 starts. He has pitched 894.2 innings. Until Tuesday, Pivetta’s only appearance on the injured list came in 2020 as a result of Covid. He has never missed time as the result of an arm ailment or injury … until now. His durability has been perhaps his greatest asset.
So what’s behind this latest setback? That depends on whom – and what – you want to believe. But the Red Sox have made some significant changes to their pitching operation this season that must now raise questions about their approach. The most notable and publicized changed to the Red Sox approach on the mound has been their pitch selection under new pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who has preached more off-speed pitches than straight four-seam fastballs. Has it worked? Yes – so far. But the obvious concern is the additional strain being put on arms asked to throw more breaking balls, which results in greater torque, specifically on the elbow and forearm.
Now, for the first time in his career, Pivetta has been sideline with arm trouble, or elbow discomfort, or an injury. Call it whatever you want. Last season, according to the all-knowing baseballsavant.co0m, Pivetta threw his four-seam fastball 50.6 percent of the time. This year, that number is down to 32.8 percent. Meanwhile, Pivetta’s sweeper has seen a usage increase from 5.4 percent to 26.4 percent. which means he’s torqueing his elbow five times as much as he was a year ago.
Let’s be clear here, folks: those numbers are facts. Now, try a Google search of something like “do sliders cause arm injuries” and see what that turns up. (Of course, we’ve actually already done that for you.) And just to complete the circle and eliminate uncertainty, let’s acknowledge that the trendy “sweeper” is, indeed, a variation of the slider – and that the Red Sox Sox now seem hooked on.
Kutter Crawford? His sweeper rate is up from 6.7 percent to 32.2 percent. Garrett Whitlock’s slider has gone from 0.1 percent to 15.4 percent. And as for Lucas Giolito, the Sox’ primary off-season p[itching acquisition who was lost for the season during spring training to – you guessed it – elbow surgery – the Sox were apparently asking Giolito to throw his slider harder during the spring. So what happened? Giolito didn’t even make it to Opening Day. Before arriving in Boston, he had basically made every scheduled start during his career since becoming a regular in 2018.
Now, is all of this potentially a coincidence? Sure. I guess. As is often the cause with injury ailments, we are often left unsure as to the precise relationship between cause and effect. But let’s try to think logically here. The Nick Pivetta injury and the Lucas Giolito injury came after each has had a long history of health. This year, they were being asked to do something with greater frequency that seems to put greater strain on their arms. Now both are hurt. Meanwhile, pitching in baseball, especially, has become so analytically driven and micromanaged that pitchers are being asked to altar how they have done things for years. Basically, they’re being asked to recondition and retrain their arms to get better results – trying to undo a process that required years in a matter of weeks.
Does that make any sense?
Beyond all of that, an interesting backdrop is also clouding the image. Last year, Major League Baseball implemented a pitch clock. This year, they shortened the time between pitches by another 1-2 seconds. Some pitchers – including Pivetta – have been suggesting that the decrease in time between pitches is causing a rash of injuries throughout the game. Of course, there is no real evidence to support this argument, which is being propagated throughout the game by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which treats every issue in the sport as a labor issue to be negotiated in the next collective bargaining agreement.
For what it’s worth, here was some of the commentary out of Red Sox camp during spring training and from Fenway Park yesterday about pitching injuries in general and Pivetta’s case, in particular:
Nick Pivetta
(During spring training to Boston Globe)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Nick Pivetta #37 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 29, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
“It’s up to the owners and it’s up to [MLB commissioner] Rob Manfred to protect us and they’re not protecting us at all. They’re asking us to do more when we’ve already done so much. The biggest thing that’s changed is the pitch clock. They shortened the time again on us without really communicating to us at all. … All the union votes were against it. [MLB] went ahead and shortened it anyways because they think it’s better for the game, but I thought the game was plenty quick enough last year. I would assume that is probably the biggest [cause of the injury wave this spring].”
(Note: Pivetta also complained about the pitch clock last year.)
Kenley Jansen
(During spring training to Boston Globe)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 03: Kenley Jansen #74 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the ninth inning at Oakland Coliseum on April 3, 2024 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
“I adjusted to the pitch clock. I’m not [complaining] about it, but we’ve got to be honest and start to [look at] the health of the players. I think it’s not right that we’re jeopardizing it. “When you’re [throwing at] max effort with the pitch clock, worrying too much about numbers and all that stuff, careers are going to get shortened. At the end of the day, we’ll keep developing [new pitchers], so by the time you’re hurt, we’ll have another one. It sucks. I still believe in having the pitch clock somehow, some way, but we’re pushing it too much.”
(Note: Jansen has historically been one of the slowest workers in baseball.)
Chris Martin
(During spring training to Boston Globe)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – AUGUST 01: Chris Martin #55 of the Boston Red Sox throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on August 01, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
“I’ve had this conversation the last few days [about injuries]. Everybody is chasing elite stuff. Different grips, different types of mechanics, trying different things over and over can maybe cause stress on different parts of your body that you’re not used to using.”
