Guidelines for Youth and Adolescent Pitchers
Each organization -- whether it be a league, travel team, showcase or tournament -- should establish rules to ensure that players must follow the guidelines while playing in that league. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the parent and the athlete to ensure that the player follows the guidelines for his age group over the course of a year -- given that he will oftentimes play in multiple leagues with different affiliations covering different times of the year.
Select Player's Age for Recommendations
Pitch Count Limits and Required Rest Recommendations
It is important for each league to set workload limits for their pitchers to limit the likelihood of pitching with fatigue. Research has shown that pitch counts are the most accurate and effective means of doing so. See required rest recommendations below.
| Age | Daily Max (Pitches in Game) | 0 Days Rest | 1 Days Rest | 2 Days Rest | 3 Days Rest | 4 Days Rest | 5 Days Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-8 | 50 | 1-20 | 21-35 | 36-50 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 9-10 | 75 | 1-20 | 21-35 | 36-50 | 51-65 | 66+ | N/A |
| 11-12 | 85 | 1-20 | 21-35 | 36-50 | 51-65 | 66+ | N/A |
| 13-14 | 95 | 1-20 | 21-35 | 36-50 | 51-65 | 66+ | N/A |
| 15-16 | 95 | 1-30 | 31-45 | 46-60 | 61-75 | 76+ | N/A |
| 17-18 | 105 | 1-30 | 31-45 | 46-60 | 61-80 | 81+ | N/A |
| 19-22 | 120 | 1-30 | 31-45 | 46-60 | 61-80 | 81-105 | 106+ |
Organizational Pitch Smart Compliance
As the health and safety of athletes continues to be a priority within amateur baseball, the following Pitch Smart Compliance program has been developed to assist the public in identifying the organizations that have adopted Pitch Smart guidelines and principles. If your organization would like to become Pitch Smart Compliant, please complete the application and submit it to [email protected].
Pitch Smart Compliance Application
Compliance levels with definitions are as follows:
Fully Compliant Pitch Smart Organizations (as of January 1, 2021):
Full Compliance Defined:
Follow Pitch Smart guidelines pertaining to pitch counts and rest periods across all competitions
Recommend that players, parents and coaches adhere to all additional Pitch Smart guidelines
General Pitch Smart information is hosted on or linked to from the organizational website
Pitch Smart information is distributed to all coaches
Formal coaches' meeting(s) will include a Pitch Smart informational segment
Pitch Smart information encouraged in team orientation meetings with parents and players
Select Compliant Pitch Smart Organizations:
Select Compliance Defined:
Follow Pitch Smart guidelines pertaining to pitch counts and rest periods across select competitions
Recommend that players, parents and coaches adhere to all additional Pitch Smart guidelines
General Pitch Smart information is hosted on or linked to from the organizational website
Pitch Smart information is distributed to all coaches
Has developed a plan and will continue to show progress towards the adoption of all standards of "Full Pitch Smart Compliance" in coming years
Educational Supporters
