Velocity training has pushed pitchers to their limits. Baseball is grappling with the injury risks

SEATTLE (AP) — Justin Verlander was a gangly teenager. His parents jokingly called him a “brontosaurus.”

Long before he became a three-time Cy Young Award winner, he was a high schooler who couldn't consistently muster the arm strength needed to get drafted. So he went to college, took the time he required to mature as a pitcher via traditional training methods, and eventually developed an arm that pushed him from prospect into major leaguer and ultimately an ace.

With today's sophisticated training methods creating opportunities — and pressure — for young pitchers to reach exceptional velocities as early as possible, Verlander may never have gotten that time to evolve into one of the top pitchers in his generation.

“I am not envious of parents of young pitchers in baseball right now,” he said. “If I had a kid in baseball, it’d be a very, very difficult decision to make. Where do I find the right help? How do I get them to the right place? How do I let them grow? Like, he’s obviously got talent.