That is no doubt part of it too. Ironically, MLB pitchers (especially starters) have lighter workloads than they ever have before, meanwhile kids 10-20 are throwing more and harder than ever. But the obsession with velo and spin rate is still a bigger factor imo. Places like Driveline and Top Velocity can squeeze out every bit of speed on a pitch, but the ligaments can't seem to hold up to it.
Here is a video from Driveline's youth pitching velocity sales pitch. I can see how this will get the kid to throw harder, but doing this along with a bunch of weighted ball training seems like a great way to insure a future TJ appointment in a decade.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Of...tM6iiTSlU3KTOG[/QUOT
I would like to see actual number of pitches a player has made by the time he gets drafted vs 20 years ago. Kids start specializing before 10 and play multiple seasons/teams in a calendar year.
All that extra load while a body is growing with not as much recovery in the way of an actual off season has to accumulate negatively.