The risk of injury in baseball can be minimized by following safety rules and using proper equipment. The safety rules for play will vary depending on the league and the age of the players. The most common safety rules for all level play are designed to protect against head injuries by requiring protective head gear and by reducing the risk of a batted ball by restricting the use of certain non-wood bats.
Composite Bats
A batted ball can reach speeds approaching 100 mph -- with a wood bat. In recent years, players in youth leagues, high school and college primarily use bats made with metals, such as aluminum, or composite materials, such as carbon fiber, which have increased the likelihood that a batted ball exceeds even 100 mph. This has lead to serious injury and even death when a batted ball strikes a player's head. In response, several leagues have banned the use of some or all non-wood bats, and a few states are considering laws to ban non-wood bats.
Little League Arm
Pitching a baseball creates significant stress on the arm, particularly the elbow and shoulder. For young baseball players who are still growing, this creates a special problem regarding growth plate injuries. Excessive pitching for a young player can lead to pieces of bone breaking in the arm joints. To avoid this injury, young players should be strictly limited in the amount of pitches thrown per game and per week.
Safety Equipment
Baseball players a required to use safety equipment to minimize the risk of injury from a batted or thrown baseball. For example, helmets are worn by all batters when at the plate and when running the bases to protect against head injuries. Most leagues will require at least the catchers, pitchers and infielders to wear protective cups. Catchers are also required to wear a protective mask, chest protector, shin guards and throat protector. For youth leagues, players are generally prohibited from wearing metal spikes or cleats.
Concussions
Even with protective head gear, players can suffer concussions from a batted or pitched ball, or in a collision with another player. An important aspect of player safety is recognizing when a player suffers a concussion and prohibiting him from further play until the concussion symptoms no longer exist. In 2011, Major League Baseball and the players union adopted new rules regarding the handling of player concussions by creating a special seven-day disabled list for players who are experiencing concussion symptoms. This allows the team to monitor the player's symptoms before having to decide whether the player must be removed from play for a longer period of time.
References
- Harvard Medical Publications: Play Ball -- Will New Rules for Bats Make Baseball Safer?; Peter Wehrwein; March 2011
- Babe Ruth Baseball League: Composite Bats - 13-15 & 16-18
- CBS News: Injury Epidemic In Youth Baseball; Jaime Holguin; June 2005
- Lake Land City Baseball: Little League Pitch Counts and Rest Requirements
- Kids Health: Why Baseball Safety Is Important
- MLB.com: MLB, Union Adopt Universal Concussion Policy; Cash Kruth; March 2011
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