BEYOND THE PITCH COUNT
Why Counting Pitches Alone Is Failing Pitchers
Pitch Count Was a Good Start. It Is No Longer Enough.
Pitch count tells you how many pitches were thrown.
It does not tell you how much stress the arm absorbed.
Two pitchers can throw the same number of pitches
and place very different loads on their arm.
That’s why pitch count alone is not saving arms.
For the last 20+ years, baseball has tried to protect pitchers by counting pitches.
And yet elbow and shoulder injuries continue to rise — at younger ages, in greater numbers, and with longer recovery times.
The uncomfortable truth is this:
Pitch count alone does not measure stress.
It measures volume, not cost.
Two pitchers can throw the same number of pitches and place completely different loads on their arm based on how efficiently those pitches produce outs.
That missing piece is pitch efficiency.
OP10™ was created to quantify what pitch count ignores —
how many pitches it actually takes to get outs.
At Velocity RX, OP10 is not a statistic we track after injuries happen.
It is a preventive tool designed to identify inefficient workloads before damage occurs.
This is one of the core ways we are working to save 1 million arms — by measuring what truly matters, not just what is easiest to count.
WHAT OP10 IS
What Is OP10™?
OP10™ is a pitch efficiency metric.
It measures how efficiently a pitcher converts pitches into outs.
Not all pitches cost the arm the same.
OP10 identifies how expensive each pitch actually was.
The OP10™ Formula
OP10 = ((Innings Pitched × 3) + Errors Forced) ÷ Total Pitches × 10
Definitions:
- Innings Pitched × 3 = total outs recorded
- Errors Forced = defensive errors created while the pitcher is on the mound
- Total Pitches = official pitch count
How to Read OP10:
- Lower OP10 = more pitches per out → higher arm stress
- Higher OP10 = fewer pitches per out → cleaner efficiency
OP10 doesn’t replace pitch count.
OP10 qualifies it.
WHY PITCH COUNT FAILS
Why Pitch Count Alone Is Not Protecting Pitchers
Pitch count treats every pitch as equal.
They are not.
A 10-pitch inning and a 25-pitch inning do not cost the arm the same — even though pitch count only sees the total.
Pitch count ignores:
- Long innings
- Inefficient outs
- Fatigue-driven mechanics breakdown
- Stress accumulation per pitch
Pitch count tells you when to stop.
OP10 tells you when damage has already begun.
OP10 Before OP10 Existed
Historic Performances Explained by Efficiency
Great pitching has always been efficient.
OP10 simply gives us the number.
1991 World Series – Game 7
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DON LARSEN
1956 World Series – Perfect Game
- 27 outs
- 97 pitches
OP10 = 3.59
This wasn’t luck.
This was historic efficiency.
DAVID CONE
Regular Season – Perfect Game
- 27 outs
- 88 pitches
OP10 = 3.07
Same result.
Very different efficiency.
GREG MADDUX
9-Inning Complete Game
- 78 pitches
OP10 = 3.46
Maddux didn’t dominate with velocity.
He dominated with efficiency.
NOLAN RYAN
7 No-Hitters
Same pitcher.
Same result.
Very different pitch counts.
OP10 tells the truth pitch count hides.
AGE & SKILL BENCHMARKS
Accepted OP10 Ranges
Velocity RX Benchmarks
These ranges are based on real performance patterns —
not opinions.
Ages 13–14
OP10: 1.60 – 1.75+
Ages 15–18
OP10: 1.65 – 1.85+
Advanced / Elite Arms
OP10: 1.75 – 2.00+
⚠️ Most arm injuries occur inside “safe” pitch counts
⚠️ But below safe OP10 ranges
WHY OP10 MATTERS FOR ARM HEALTH
- More pitches per out = more stress per inning
- More stress per inning = earlier fatigue
- Fatigue changes mechanics
- Mechanics breakdown leads to injury
Pitch count reacts after damage.
OP10 identifies risk earlier.
The Velocity RX Difference
At Velocity RX, OP10™ is not just a stat.
It is:
- A workload qualifier
- A fatigue detector
- An injury-risk indicator
- A development filter
We don’t just count pitches.
We measure efficiency, stress, and sustainability.
That’s how we protect arms.
That’s how we develop pitchers.
That’s how we save 1 million arms.
Want to know your OP10? Text “OP10” to 978-651-1812 or schedule a Velocity RX evaluation.
Dr. Kevin J. McGovern, PT, CSCS.
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