DVS Baseball is known for it's ability to maximize the potential and efficiency of baseball players across all levels of the sport. As I’ve recently joined the DVS Baseball team, I look back at the implementation of DVS at the United Shore Professional Baseball League and the effect it has had on some of the most successful pitchers in the USPBL and how it has a positive change in their careers.

As consumers get ready for the holiday shopping season, MLB general managers are doing the same as they evaluate their team needs and available free agents.  Nearly $2 billion dollars have been paid to pitchers while on the injured list in MLB since 2015.   Injuries have led to significant buyer’s remorse.  The DVS Analytics team used our proprietary Injury Risk (IR) model to assess this year’s free agent pitchers to see their likelihood of playing through their contract without succumbing to a major throwing-related arm injury*.  We focused on the top of top free agent pitchers, according to mlb.com’s Mark Feinsand.  Let’s dig into the results and to our GM friends, buyer beware.

Over the last ten years, a growing problem has manifested throughout baseball and is negatively impacting pitchers at every level, creating a pandemic in baseball of pitching injuries. Although well documented, the injuries have been downplayed and considered the new norm as the private sector fuels a pitcher's desire to obtain high velocity and achieve max performance. The best way to explain how this cycle of injuries amongst pitchers occurs is to understand a baseball pitcher's life cycle, how it has shifted, and the role the private sector plays on the health, performance, and careers of pitchers.

MLB seems to be pivoting from the traditional workhouse starting pitcher to "openers" or starters who serve as a bridge to high velocity bullpens. Pitching staffs at the MLB level are changing but is the change a positive shift for MLB Teams in terms of winning?

The auto industry spends over $40B globally per year on warranty. So how does this relate to baseball? In 2019, over 22,000 days were spent on the injured list by pitchers. In terms of seasons, this is equivalent to the complete pitching staff of 10 MLB teams, a third of the league, missing the entire season. Like the auto industry, MLB is suffering from warranty and product quality. What if there was a diagnostic system that could identify if a pitcher was at risk of injury?