Baseball Stats - baseball player injuries - Statistical Data Included

Pediatrics for Parents, June, 2001 by Michael K. Meyerhoff

No - we're not talking about RBIs or strike outs. These stats are injury numbers for little league baseball players. A study looked at the incidence of injuries reported to the insurance carrier for Little League Baseball, Inc., the parent organization for most of little league baseball in this country.

The 10 year study period - 1987 through 1997 - covered 17,221,210 player-years. (A player-year equals one player who participated for one year.) During that time, there were 29,038 injuries. Another way to look at is that there were 1.69 injuries for every 1,000 players per season.

The players were at highest risk when batting. Almost 5,000 of the injuries were batters being hit by a pitched ball. Another almost 4,000 injuries occurred when an infielder was hit by a ball. Outfielders were injured 2,800 times. Catchers were injured nearly 1,700 times. The most commonly injured body part was the face, followed by teeth, head, knee or ankle, and then chest.

Another 7,700 injuries occurred from colliding, and falling. Sliding, running, and tagging caused another 4,300 injuries.

One-quarter of the injuries were considered serious (fractures, dislocations, and concussions). Thirteen players died from their injuries.

The authors conclude that "... youth baseball appears to be a very safe sport, but there are areas where injury prevention is possible. Data and additional attention are needed concerning face mask use for players in the field, modified balls for minimizing contact injuries, education on sliding technique, and use of safety bases for runners."

The Physician and SportsMedicine, 7/01