Pitch Smart Program

Little League® has always placed safety as a top priority, and is continually striving to provide children with healthy and safe baseball and softball opportunities. For more than a decade, the Little League program has been at the forefront of promoting arm safety for youth pitchers. As we continue to work to make baseball a safe, fun sport for all children, Little League is proudly supporting the efforts of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball through the Pitch Smart campaign.

After several years of research, Little League launched its pitch count program in 2006. With limits set for different amounts of pitches for different age groups, Little League has been diligent in protecting young arms since establishing strict pitching rules. With many baseball players participating in Little League and other youth baseball programs, it is important for parents and coaches to use the Pitch Smart campaign and the Little League pitch count program to ensure young pitching arms stay safe.

Little League strongly encourages all Little League volunteers, parents, and officials to review PitchSmart.org and share it with others.

Little League International has been identified as one of the only youth baseball organizations in full compliance of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball’s Pitch Smart compliance program.

SUPPLEMENT GUIDELINES Read More about Full Compliance

Little League has achieved its Full Compliance designation by:

Following Pitch Smart guidelines pertaining to pitch counts and rest periods, which align with Little League regulations, across all competitions
Recommending that players, parents, and coaches adhere to all additional Pitch Smart guidelines
Sharing general Pitch Smart information on our website
Distributing Pitch Smart information to all coaches through our ASAP and Coach’s Box newsletters
Including a Pitch Smart informational segment with details about pitch counts and rest periods in formal coach’s meetings, which typically occur as part of ASAP or local league operations
Encouraging local leagues to share Pitch Smart information during team orientation meetings with parents and players

Arm Safety News and Resources

Identifying Five Main Risk Factors That Contribute to Arm Injuries

Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. James Andrews, the world’s foremost authority on pitching-related injuries and a member of the Little League International Board of Directors, has identified five main risk factors that […]

Regular Season Pitching Rules

Youth Baseball Pitching Study Shows Overuse is Primary Cause of Arm Injuries

A five-year study, recently concluded by the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina, found that the primary cause of arm injuries in youth baseball […]

CNN.com Article Touts Merits of Little League Pitch Count

A news article posted on the Health page at www.CNN.com highlights many methods for maintaining a child’s health and well being. Little League’s Pitch Count is among the best practices noted in […]

The Number-one Risk of Arm Injuries Continues to be Year-round Play

If baseball is to continue to be “America’s Pastime”, we need to make sure that prevention of injury becomes a number one priority. There is no question that Little League® […]

Safety Spotlight: Protecting Your Children’s Arms

Pitch count. Thresholds. Days rest. To any Little League® parent, these are familiar terms, especially for those who have children who are pitchers. And, while coaches are concerned with what […]

Paul Seiler

Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball

“Historically, Little League Baseball has been at the forefront of safety initiatives related to youth baseball. Their official endorsement of the Pitch Smart program continues that trend, and points to a standard for all to consider as we strive to protect the safety and health of baseball players at all levels.”

Chris Marinak

Senior V.P., League Economics and Strategy

“Major League Baseball is proud to stand alongside Little League Baseball on the Pitch Smart initiative for pitching safety. As one of the early adopters of pitch count limits and a variety of educational programs, Little League has been a leader in the baseball community on pitching safety. We look forward to continuing to work with Little League to foster long, healthy careers for amateur and professional pitchers.”