Will Leake Succumb To The Verducci Effect?

Mike Leake (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Tom Verducci released his annual Red Flag List of young pitchers who are at higher risk for either injury or decreased performance for the upcoming season. His list is developed from the premise that inning workloads for young arms should be increased gradually from one season to the next. Pitchers whose workloads are increased by too much in a season over the previous year are more likely to suffer from injury or have a setback in their performance the following year. The parameters for Verducci’s list are fairly simple. The pitcher must be 25 years of age or younger, have thrown over 30 more innings than the previous year, and be pitching at the major league level. Minor league and post-season innings thrown are included in a player’s total innings. Mike Leake, 23 last year, came in 11th on Verducci’s 2012 list of 14 MLB pitchers by throwing 36 2/3 more innings in 2011 than the previous year. Most teams have employed some sor...