“Teams want guys who throw hard” - Legendary pitcher Greg Maddux discusses MLB’s pitching challenges following player injuries

Greg Maddux is a legend and it's fair to say that his word of advice is certainly knowledgeable. The MLB has seen several pitchers struggle with injuries of late. While many believe the MLB pitching clock is the primary reason, some feel several factors are involved.

Elbow injuries have been more prominent this season as some top pitchers have been placed on the Injured List. Shane Bieber of the Guardians was one of the first players to leave, followed by Spencer Strider of the Braves. The Marlins' Eury Perez and Yankees' Gerrit Cole were also sidelined.

Greg Maddux was one among several who commented on the situation. In a recent phone interview, Maddux said it all depends on the coach and the mentality of the process.

“Who knows? It depends on who your coach is. Change the mentality to all of it,” Maddux said.

Maddux talked about the velocity and how coaches look to pitchers capable of hitting 100 mph.

“Velocity matters, teams want guys who throw hard. As a coach, I’d rather coach a guy who can throw it 95 than 90. Faster is better, but at the same time it’s not the answer to your problems,” Greg Maddux said.

Greg Maddux reflects on his pitching era in comparison to the present situation

The pressure for pitchers to push their limits has clearly increased over the years. Maddux reflected on his time as a pitcher and how different things were back then.

“When I pitched, we were content that our fastball was our fastball. We never tried to throw it harder but execute it better than the guy you faced,” Greg Maddux said.

While Maddux is indeed one of the best pitchers the league has seen, his time on the field is long gone. The competition for pitching only gets tougher every year. It's also one of the main reasons pitchers struggle with injuries in their battle of competing.

With pitching injuries on the rise, several pitchers and other staff have complained about this issue. The MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark was one among several to voice his opinion. Clark believes the MLB pitch clock rule was the biggest reason for pitching injuries.