Ah,the optimism of Spring Training. Freshly cut infield grass, the crisp, clean air, and the unavoidable feeling that this is finally “the year”. For us Mets fans, this is a familiar scenario. Every year starts like this, but they rarely finish the way that General Manager Sandy Alderson has envisioned. That is, until this March, when Mets faithful finally had reason to think that the young pitching and revitalized offensive core could bring a winning season to Flushing.

Those good vibes did not last long. This week, the team announced that starting pitcher Zack Wheeler would undergo Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a full tear – not a slight or partial tear that is most common among pitchers- of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Mets reliever Josh Edgin, a key reliever who led the team with a 1.32 ERA last year, also announced that he will undergo the same operation. Both players will miss the 2015 season, and may not be ready for the start of 2016 as well. These two vital losses have the Mets scrambling to patch up their pitching staff, which was thought of as the strong point on an otherwise weak squad.

But I’m not here to demonstrate how ugly the effects of the loss of Wheeler and Edgin will be with complicated sabermetrics and boring story lines. No, this unfortunate situation is part of something bigger in baseball. Something that has spun out of control of late and something that needs to be reeled in for the greater good of the future of the game.

Many have pointed a finger at Alderson and Head Coach Terry Collins for the overuse of Wheeler, who felt pain in his elbow as early as midway through last year. Wheeler says that he felt good enough to pitch all the way through the year last year, and he doesn’t blame his coach or GM for his injury. We shouldn’t either.

The underlying complication here is the fact that elbow injuries for pitchers have exponentially increased in the last few years. This spring alone, 7 pitchers have already had their season prematurely terminated due to the need of Tommy John surgery, the most notable ones being Wheeler and Rangers ace Yu Darvish. Since 2010, 238 players, mostly pitchers, have gone under the knife to repair their elbows via TJ that have been on a major league roster at some point. The most in a single year came in 2012, where 69 players underwent the surgery. Before the new millennium, less than 100 players total had the surgery. Baseball has become crippled by the increase in elbow  injuries, and everyone wants to know why.

Some point at the huge workload that pitchers nowadays have. It’s common for pitchers to have full seasons in which they pitch over 200 innings over 30 starts, and then if they’re lucky (sarcasm intended), pitch in he postseason. In the playoffs, they’ll often have to pitch on three days rest and give superhuman performances, like Madison Bumgarner. He started game 5 of the 2014 World Series, then came in on two days rest out of the bullpen in game 7 and threw 5 scoreless innings to clinch the title. However, today’s teams use a 5 man rotation that wasn’t widely accepted until the latter half of the 20th century. They use more pitchers per game than ever before, which decreases the daily workload of each pitcher. In reality, workload for a pitcher hasn’t increased at all; it actually has decreased.

Take a look at Bob Gibson, for example. He’s widely considered one of the best pitchers of all time, and he never sustained an elbow injury. He averaged 262 innings pitched per year over his 17 seasons, which would easily lead the league in today’s game. Gibson maxed out at 314 IP over 35 starts – with 28 complete games. Pitchers now have it relatively easy compared to the hurlers of yesteryear, so workload simply isn’t the reason why Tommy John surgery spreads like the Plague.

The real reason is that the art of pitching is lost. Pitchers today feel that the secret to success is throwing exceptionally hard and having devastating off-speed pitches, while sacrificing pinpoint command. In 2014, the top ten hardest throwing starters by fastball velocity topped out at 96.1 MPH, and rounded off at 94.1 (3 of the top 10 have undergone TJ, with Wheeler also placing on the list). Attempting to sustain a velocity like this for 6 or 7 innings puts immense strain on the elbow and shoulder, no matter how often they pitch. Obviously, they can’t throw just fastballs. Pitchers try to fool hitters with nasty sliders, changeups that fall out of the strike zone, and curveballs that break from head to toe. Pitches like these put even more torque on the elbow to get the rotation needed to make the ball break. Just ask Darvish, who has been consistently praised for his wide array of secondary pitches, but has been oft- injured throughout his MLB career.

If a pitcher wants to stay healthy and effective in the MLB, they need to focus not on throwing hard, not on throwing a Bert Blyleven- like curveball, but on hitting spots with incredible consistency. David Price, who was just named the Opening Day starter for the Tigers, is widely considered to have the best control in the MLB. He has never sustained a major elbow injury in his major league career, and led the league with 248.1 IP last year. The flame-throwing fad has flamed out, and it’s time to hone in on command for starting pitchers in the MLB.

Obviously, if this advice is heeded, it will take some time for pitchers to gradually adjust to the new-old strategy. In this case, protective measures need to be put in place to preserve the young arms that have emerged in the last couple of years like Wheeler. I don’t think a pitch count should be in place, like some others have called for, because it feels too much like a little league game then. Pitchers need to cut down on their activity in the offseason. The ever-shortening winters for professional baseball players means that pitchers have to constantly work on their game to stay above their hitting counterparts. If everyone takes a little more vacation time at the end of each year, pitchers can save and rest their arms to be able to avoid Tommy John surgery and pitch healthy all season long.