Little League Baseball and USA Baseball have different rules on pitch limits and mandatory rest periods.
The Little League pitch limits are mandatory and must be strictly followed, with each league now required to designate a scorekeeper or official to track the pitch counts and to notify umpires when pitchers reach mandatory limits. A violation of the Little League pitch limit and mandatory rest rules may result in a protest of the game and, ultimately, a forfeit.
By contrast, the USA Baseball pitch limits are recommendations. Because they are voluntary, a team does not incur a penalty if the guidelines are not followed.
| Age (years)
2006 USA Baseball Recommendations
Daily/Weekly Pitch Limit (Approx.)
2014 Little League Baseball
Mandatory Daily Pitch Limit
|17-18|| No recommended limit
|15-16|| No recommended limit
|13-14|| 75 pitches (125 pitches per week)
|11-12|| 75 pitches (100 pitches per week)
|9-10|| 50 pitches (75 pitches per week)
|7-8||No recommended limit||50*|
* While Little League Baseball, unlike USA Baseball, does not set limits on the number of pitches per week, it does require mandatory rest between pitching appearances, which effectively limit the number of pitches which can be thrown over the course of a week. For a chart setting out Little League mandatory rest periods, click here.
Independent travel baseball
A note of extreme caution to parents of youth baseball pitchers on independent travel and all-star teams competing in independently-operated tournaments: they may have NO rules at all on pitch limits and rest.
Parents also need to understand that if their child plays on mutiple teams, there may be little or no communication between coaches, and it may be up to them to keep track of their child's pitch counts and days off. Otherwise, their child may be at significant risk of an overuse injury to their elbow or shoulder that may require surgery.
Limit pitches per season and year
Little League Baseball does not set limits on the number of pitches a player can throw over the course of a season or a year. USA Baseball recommends the following limits*:
|Age|| Pitches per game
|| Pitches per week
|| Pitches per season
|| Pitches per year
| 9 - 10
* Pitch count limits include only pitches thrown during games and don't include:
- Throws from other positions (Note: Little League bans pitchers from going behind the plate as catchers because of the amount of throwing involved in that position). A new study from the American Sports Medicine Institute seems to provide some preliminary support for that ban, finding, based on limited data, that playing catcher appeared to double or triple a pitcher's risk of injury, although the small number of injured players studied prevented a finding that the risk was significantly significant).
- Instructional pitching during practice pitching; and
- Throwing drills, which are important for developing proper mechanics - since poor throwing mechanics have been linked to increased risk of injury - and strength - since poor conditioning also increases the risk of arm injuries.
NATA recommended limitsIn its 2011 position statement on overuse injuries,2 the National Athletic Trainers' Association recommends the following limits to reduce the number of pitching injuries in youth baseball:
- Pitchers 9- to 14-years-old: 75 pitches per game, 600 pitches per season, and 2000-3000 per year.
- Pitchers between 15 and 18 years of age: no more than 90 pitches per game, and no more than 2 games per week.
1. Fazalare J, Magnussen R, Pedroza A, Kaeding C. Knowledge of and Compliance With Pitch Count Recommendations: A Survey of Youth Baseball Coaches. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. published online February 6, 2012. DOI:10.1177/1941738111435632 (accessed February 7, 2012).
2. Valovich McLeod TC, Decoster LC, Loud KJ, Micheli LJ, Parker JT, Sandrey MA, White C. National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Prevention of Pediatric Overuse Injuries. J Ath. Tr. 2011;46(2):206-220.
Updated March 17, 2014