=== Recommendations ===

Dr. D was fairly well convinced before, and is well convinced now.  The Burnout Effects and Pitcher Abuse Points (PAP) and all that stuff, they were pretty good guesses, but they turned out to be bad guesses, Yogi.

Pitchers get hurt, or they do not.  Blaming it on workload, or not, does not help our mission, Ah-nold.

The only decent rule-of-thumb that has held up, over time, is Earl's:  Don't pitch a guy when he's laboring.  If his back foot isn't coming up off the ground as high as it should be, get him off the mound.

How many bench presses is too many for Jay Cutler?  ... how can you know that, without knowing whether Cutler's tired ... that day ?

Except for Earl's rule, I agree with The Grand Historian:  a lot of work is probably good for a pitcher.  As long as none of it is imposed after he's gassed that day.

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=== Felix Hernandez ===

At 20-22, was throwing 200 innings plus spring training, and then stopped.  This seemed sensible.

At 23-24, has thrown 240-250 innings plus spring training, and threw all these innings easily.  This also seemed sensible.

From age 25 on, Felix can throw as many innings as he likes, 275 plus ST plus playoffs, as long as he's not humping up on the backstroke.

You've got any number of precedents - Clemens, Seaver, Ryan, etc etc.  Felix is powerful, he's glassy-smooth, and he's a horse.   ::whinny::

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=== Michael Pineda ===

Threw these innings:

• 140 at age 19
• 50 at age 20 (elbow pain)
• 140 at age 21

And, at age 22, should be fine to throw 180-200 innings in the major leagues, IFF he is throwing easily the whole time.

................

Should the Mariners pull a Steven Strasburg, and sit Pineda for two months in 2011, so they can get almost-seven-years out of him?

I dunno, how many young pitchers go through that timeframe without ever visiting the DL?  Did Strasburg himself?

No reason, none at all, not to pitch Pineda the opening series.  And to let him take his turn for as long as he's feeling good.

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Catch you after morning break,

Dr D