MLB Pitch Smart Guidelines: The Complete 2025 Parent's Guide

If you've spent any time around youth baseball, you've probably heard coaches mention "Pitch Smart" or seen leagues reference MLB guidelines. But what are they, exactly? And more importantly — how do you use them?

This guide breaks down everything parents need to know about MLB's Pitch Smart guidelines, why they matter, and where they fall short.

What Is Pitch Smart?

Pitch Smart is a joint initiative by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, developed with input from the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI). It provides age-based recommendations for pitch counts and required rest periods designed to reduce arm injuries in young players.

The program launched in 2014 after decades of research showing that overuse — not mechanics, not curveballs — is the primary driver of youth pitching injuries.

The Daily Pitch Count Limits

Here's what Pitch Smart recommends for maximum pitches in a single game or day:

| Age | Daily Max | |-----|-----------| | 7-8 | 50 pitches | | 9-10 | 75 pitches | | 11-12 | 85 pitches | | 13-14 | 95 pitches | | 15-16 | 95 pitches | | 17-18 | 105 pitches |

These aren't arbitrary numbers. They're based on biomechanical research measuring elbow and shoulder stress in growing arms.

The Required Rest Days

Pitch counts are only half the equation. Pitch Smart also mandates rest periods based on how many pitches a player throws:

Ages 7-14: | Pitches Thrown | Rest Required | |----------------|---------------| | 1-20 | 0 days | | 21-35 | 1 day | | 36-50 | 2 days | | 51-65 | 3 days | | 66+ | 4 days |

Ages 15-18: | Pitches Thrown | Rest Required | |----------------|---------------| | 1-30 | 0 days | | 31-45 | 1 day | | 46-60 | 2 days | | 61-80 | 3 days | | 81+ | 4 days |

This is where most leagues actually enforce the rules — and where most parents start paying attention.

Why Pitch Smart Matters

The research behind Pitch Smart is sobering. A landmark 2006 study by Olsen et al. found that pitching while fatigued increases injury risk by 36 times. Not 36 percent — 36 times.

Other key findings:

Pitching on consecutive days increases pain risk by 2.5x
Pitching more than 8 months per year dramatically increases injury rates
Playing for multiple teams simultaneously is a top risk factor

Tommy John surgery rates in youth players have skyrocketed over the past two decades. Pitch Smart is MLB's attempt to reverse that trend.

Where Pitch Smart Falls Short

Here's what the guidelines don't tell you: game pitches are only part of the picture.

Research from ASMI and other institutions shows that 60-70% of a young pitcher's arm stress comes from non-game throwing:

Bullpen sessions
Private lessons
Long toss
Catching
Backyard practice

A kid who throws 40 pitches in Saturday's game but also threw a 30-pitch bullpen on Thursday, had a pitching lesson on Friday, and played catch for 20 minutes Sunday morning has accumulated far more arm stress than that box score suggests.

Pitch Smart tracks game pitches. It doesn't track the other 88% of throwing.

How to Actually Protect Your Kid's Arm

Following Pitch Smart is a great start. But if you really want to prevent injuries, you need to:

Track all throwing — not just games
Monitor cumulative workload — across teams, lessons, and practice
Watch for warning signs — arm fatigue, soreness, decreased velocity
Enforce rest — even when your kid says they feel fine
Communicate with coaches — make sure everyone knows the full picture

The hard part isn't understanding the guidelines. It's tracking everything that happens between games.

The Bottom Line

Pitch Smart gives you a solid foundation. The daily limits and rest requirements are backed by real research and have probably prevented thousands of injuries.

But they're not enough on their own. A truly protected arm requires tracking every throw — and that's exactly why we built ThrowIQ.

Stop guessing. Track the data. Try ThrowIQ →

ThrowIQ is not a substitute for medical advice. If your player experiences pain, consult a qualified medical professional.