Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association is frustrated because pitchers have been dropping left and right. Recently, it was announced that Shane Bieber would be out for the season due to Tommy John surgery.
But, Bieber is not the only one. Eury Perez, Spencer Strider, Jonathan Loaisiga, and many others are experiencing UCL problems. Many people point to the MLB’s reduced pitch clock as being the cause.
This season, the MLB reduced its pitch clock from 20 seconds to 18 with runners on base. Clark recently made a statement about the matter on Saturday, discussing his displeasure with the league for not protecting its players.
Clark stated that there was massive pushback to the league reducing the pitch clock, but they did it anyway. He is frustrated by the MLB’s ‘unwilingness’ to acknowledge there is a problem or even study the effects beforehand.
Tony Clark is not pleased with the growing number of injuries
At this rate, teams will have to dip into their minor league teams to find healthy pitchers. That is a problem for the league, and Tony Clark wants those with the power to rectify the problem.
Some of the best pitchers in the league are presently down with injuries. Justin Verlander is currently on rehab assignment and Clayton Kershaw is eyeing a mid-summer return.
Is too early into the season for teams to be worried about the number of arms they have. If more pitchers leave, more people will want the MLB to reconsider its pitch clock.