3 days ago
MLB prospect analyst rips Boston College coaches for allowing pitcher to throw nearly 240 pitches during ACC tournament
A top MLB prospect analyst is blasting Boston College baseball coaches for allowing a pitcher to throw nearly 240 pitches in a week during the ACC tournament.
Junior A.J. Colarusso threw 237 pitches, including 109 in six innings during the Eagles' elimination game 7-2 loss to Notre Dame last Friday. The 109-pitch outing came just two days after Colarusso went four innings and 72 pitches in BC's 12-8 win over Virginia.
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'Colarusso doesn't throw very hard — he sits 87-89, and it's not a high-effort delivery — but the issue with overuse is fatigue, and that affects everyone,' notes The Athletic's Keith Law. 'The usage blew past the MLB PitchSmart recommendations for a pitcher his age when working on two days of rest (maximum of 60 pitches), even though 'numerous studies have shown that … pitching too deep into games, violating pitch count recommendations, and acute spikes in workload significantly increase the risk of injury,' according to the PitchSmart site. They also recommend a maximum of 120 pitches in any game for any pitcher aged 19-22.'
The ACC Baseball X account even celebrated Colarusso's performance on social media, posting: '109 pitches on the night. 237 pitches on the week. An incredible ACC Championship performance from No. 48.'
'It was an outstanding performance by Colarusso, but the coaches and the people running the conference are supposed to be the adults in the room here, and 181 pitches over four days is not something to cheer,' states Law. '(He'd thrown another 56 pitches the prior Thursday, hence the 237 pitches figure in their tweet.)'
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Law called it incredibly irresponsible for college coaches to allow pitchers like Colarusso, who might not have a professional future, to risk a traumatic arm or shoulder injury that could affect them beyond baseball.
The Athletic's senior baseball writer added that it's a 'terrible idea' for MLB to be 'farming out some of their player development to college programs.'
'College coaches can not be trusted,' Law said succinctly.
With BC's loss in the ACC tournament, the Eagles will not advance to the NCAA Tournament.
