Alex Wood has had his fair share of elbow injuries. He’s had arthroscopic surgery and dealt with posterior impingement.
On Monday, the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher took to social media to voice his opinion on the epidemic plaguing Major League Baseball. Through a thread of 11 posts, Wood explained a variety of topics affecting pitchers’ elbows throughout the league.
First, there is a lack of rest. Wood says that pitchers should take off 8-10 weeks during the offseason and not pick up a baseball. He claims that pitchers are throwing year-round to stay ahead of the competition and by the time the season comes around, muscle fatigue sets in.
Secondly, the random day/night game times “probably doesn’t help.” Wood, who pitches for the Oakland Athletics, played his first three road games on the East Coast after being on Pacific Time for the last two months. That’s like playing three games at 10 a.m.
Lastly, he mentioned the difference in mounds across the league saying that all 30 ballparks build their mounds differently.
“They all have different dirt/different clay/different slopes/different mound heights,” wrote Wood. “Some are hard. Some are soft. It has to have some type of impact on your throw when all the mounds are different right?”
Below is the full thread:
Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
