Pamela Wheeler

Where is the future of Major League Baseball (MLB) headed? In 2024, a staggering 74% of all injury-related days missed were by pitchers, with arm injuries alone accounting for 58%. The financial toll reflects this as well, with MLB teams spending $686 million on injured pitchers this year—$561 million solely due to arm injuries. This rise in pitcher injuries has been building steadily for over a decade. Since 2015, MLB teams have spent $7.5 billion on player injuries, with $3.1 billion on arm injuries alone, which represent over half of all injuries. Pitchers account for 67% of the total days missed. The pandemic undoubtedly disrupted the player development cycle, but since 2021, days missed due to arm injuries have surged from 46% to 58%, and the share of cash lost due to pitchers has risen from 54% to 69%. We’re seeing the impact in the postseason: a shift in availability and depth of quality starting pitchers and a growing reliance on a revolving bullpen. It’s like watching a high-stakes showcase event where endurance and consistency fall behind. MLB knows there’s a problem; I’ve spoken with them on multiple occasions and proposed pilot programs to reduce injury rates. But changing course isn’t easy when the very dynamics that fuel this surge in arm injuries are embedded at every level of baseball. So what’s the solution? Change the rules? Change the game itself? That might be MLB’s simplest path forward. We’re currently on track for pitchers to account for 80% of all missed days in the league, with over 60% due to arm injuries. It’s absurd. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have shown they can handle massive payrolls and stockpile injuries and still make it to the World Series, thanks to depth and top-tier talent. But this dynamic creates a widening gap when big-market teams can afford to overcome injuries, while most small-market teams struggle to develop talent and remain competitive. Ultimately, we want the best players to stay on the field, grow the game, and deliver the best product for fans. #injuries #pitchers #SaveTheGame #playoffs

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I never was the most talented. In retrospect, my superpower was endurance. “The person with the longest time horizon, wins” -Alex Hormozi My Maryland State Team, at age 13, was one of the best in the country. We had players on the national team, regional team and getting looks overseas… The majority got large scholarships to play at top D1 schools. But only 2 played professionally. How could this be? ⚽️⚽️⚽️ There are million reasons why the most talented players of my youth, DID NOT make it: 1/ It’s extremely difficult 2/ Environments were poor 3/ A bad injury 4/ Lacked motivation 5/ Fell out of love with the game 6/ Got sidetracked 7/ Poor coaching 8/ Lack of Scouting 9/ Life intervened 10/ Any other applicable reason not mentioned… But I think the more useful question is: Why did I, And my buddy Larry, Make it to that next level? With seemingly zero support, And all the same problems to overcome. The short answer: we found a way to stay in the game. To keep meeting obstacles head on and iterating towards a greater potential. We endured. This was our superpower. A mental capacity to iterate in spite of the never-ending challenges and adversity. ⚽️⚽️⚽️ For a long time, I saw my career as a failure. I didn’t play in the 2010 World Cup. I never made a roster in MLS. I never played overseas. But I no longer see it that way. One of the main reasons I no longer see it that way, Is because of a perspective Larry shared with me, After our playing careers were over. He said to me, “It’s a miracle we even had a career.” “The amount of stuff we had to endure, and still make it…” Larry helped me see that my playing journey was NOT an outcome I never achieved, But a developmental process, that provided more important long-term gifts, That we get to continue using beyond our playing careers. One of those many gifts is an ability to ENDURE. We both had zero support and a million reasons why we would never make it. But the endurance has us still iterating today. Larry created and is building his own youth soccer club. I coach and created The Developer’s Way. Not just to provide the environments we never had, but To give today’s players the permission and confidence to endure. ⚽️⚽️⚽️ Please remember… We can be the coaches we never had By creating cultures that develop endurance, So MORE of our players can truly pursue their goals on the pitch, And all the goals that come after. Do you have a CULTURE VISION that helps your players endure long-term? Does your CULTURE guide players toward their potential? This Friday (5/24/24), I release my course “Culture Creation Mastery”. Subscribe to my newsletter (link in my bio’s Featured section) by next week, and you’ll receive the course for FREE. *Note: Larry is number 11 in this picture tying his shoes–we played 2 years together in college. I am number 13.

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Take a moment and google Sustainable Development Goal #5 and reflect on the below and how the world should change going forward....

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