Head Injuries in Baseball Austin Smith

Head Injuries in Baseball

Austin Smith

Case Study 2

November 11, 2014

Getting hit in the head with a baseball, whether it is a pitcher or a batter is not a common occurrence, but when it does happen, it’s frightening to say the least. Certain precautionary steps have taken place over the last few years to keep players safe, but most baseball players don’t use the safety equipment. My paper is going to explore how the media frames head injuries in baseball and how they frame the new equipment available to players.

When people think of head injuries they usually think of a sport like football or hockey. CTE is a common disease found in football players that deal with brain injuries. The first person diagnosed with CTE in baseball was Ryan Freel in 2012. He committed suicide just a couple years after retiring most likely because of his head injuries. “Freel had estimated he suffered 10 concussions during his major-league career…Freel had a history of head trauma that predated his major-league career. At age 2, he ran into a moving car. At 4, he again hit his head after jumping off a bed. In high school, he also lost consciousness after a hit playing football” (Gregory 2013). Time magazine framed this article comparing it to football. They focused more on the CTE side than his problems with alcohol and drugs. Instead of showing remorse and sorrows for Freel, Time focuses on rule changes in the future that can prevent head injuries in baseball. This story leaves question to how many other baseball players have CTE without knowing it.

One of the rarest but violent head injuries is when a pitcher gets a ball hit right back at them. According to MLB medical director Gary Green, these events occur “once every 200,000 to 250,000” pitches in Major League Baseball. Green was interviewed in the Tampa Bay Times after Rays pitcher Alex Cobb was hit in the head. This article was unusual in the fact that it didn’t mention Cobb or his injuries. Instead, the article focuses on what type of gear can be worn to protect players and what the job of the athletic trainers are. “You might go through your entire career as an athletic trainer and never see one of these,” Green said. “But you have to be prepared as if it could happen every single pitch” (Smith 2013). Other pitchers also expressed frustration with equipment in this article saying if nothing is done then someone could get killed. “Pitchers could wear helmets, much like first- and third-base coaches, but he is willing to try anything. Green said, as of now, there has been no talk of using helmets or ear flaps, and that they're focused on what would fit within the existing New Era caps. If a pitcher wanted to try one on his own, it would have to be approved by MLB” (Smith 2013).

Pro baseball is not the only level where pitchers sustain head injuries. College and high school athletes across the country are taking precautionary measures to remain safe. Matt Hiserman of the University of San Francisco wears a protective cap after being struck in the head twice from line drives. He is believed to be the only pitcher to ever be struck in the head twice (Henson 2010). Unfortunately at the high school level players have to be extra careful because deaths have occurred. “Brady Lee Frazier, an eighth-grader pitching against a varsity high school lineup in Burlington, Vt., died after being struck in the head by a line drive, prompting officials in Vermont and New York to inquire about pitchers wearing headgear. And a year ago, the parents and friends of Cole Schlesner, a 14-year-old from Loveland, Ohio, struck in the top of the head by a line drive, started a nonprofit organization that recently donated 1,000 batting helmets for pitchers to wear in youth leagues across four states” (Henson 2010). Little leagues across the country have adopted helmets for pitchers to wear. This likely will never be translated to college or pros because of the obtrusiveness of the helmet. Henson frames these head injuries in a way that makes you think of life or death. Writing about teenagers who have died from getting hit in the head with a baseball will hit home with most families.

Alex Torres is one of MLB’s pioneers when it comes to protective headgear. He became the first pitcher to wear the protective cap after it was introduced. “4Licensing Corporation makes the new IsoBLOX Protective Caps, which its website describes as "breakthrough technology to protect Major League Baseball pitchers from line drive come-backers." The optional equipment was made available to pitchers at all levels during spring training, with interested players providing information so they could get fitted caps, MLB.com reported” (Morgenstein 2014). Morgenstein frames the story around the technology of the cap. Torres admits in this CNN article that the cap feels no different than a normal hat and it doesn’t affect his pitching. Since Torres’s hat is bulky and unorthodox, some people have mocked him for choosing safety over looks. CNN mentions David Price, his own teammate tweeting jabs at him. USA Today reported that the Tampa Bay Rays announcers were even making fun of him at one point (Schwartz 2014). The fans have taken the mockery to a whole different level with pictures of Torres and his new hat. “While Torres doesn't think the protective caps should be mandatory for major leagues, he urges parents and children to consider them, because of a key difference between the majors and youth baseball” (Morgenstein 2014). Many articles agree with Torres and point out the most important aspect is protecting the kids.

The other common head injury in baseball is when batters get hit in the head. This is the most likely situation for a player to sustain a head injury in baseball. Luckily, unlike pitchers, batters have the protection of a helmet although injuries still can occur. “On average, at least one batter is hit per game, although most aren’t hits to the head” (Diamond 2014). Diamond frames his story around Giancarlos Stanton, who was hit in the face and fractured his jaw. He notes that it could have been worse and Stanton could have lost millions of dollars with his potential free agency coming up. The nature of Diamond’s Forbes story is centered around money which makes sense due to the fact that Forbes is a magazine about money and wealth. The most significant injury to batters is when they get hit in the face because that is the only area of the head not protected. Jason Heyward’s career was changed forever after a hit to the jaw. “With two outs in the sixth inning, Niese's pitch appeared to hit the ear flap of Heyward's helmet. Heyward immediately fell to the ground, while head trainer Jeff Porter and Gonzalez ran out to attend to him… After a few minutes, Heyward stood up and walked off the field with Porter holding his arm. Schafer pinch-ran for Heyward, who was spitting blood as he went toward the dugout” (Bowman/Iseman 2013). MLB News framed this story regarding the rest of the Atlanta Braves season. They showed remorse because Heyward was up for a gold glove award season and he had already missed time earlier in the year due to an appendectomy. Also Tim Hudson was already out for the year after suffering an injury against the same team Heyward did. Bowman and Iseman wrote about other players who would have to step up in the wake of this injury.

With Heyward pioneering the helmet flap, it seems likely that it would catch on in the MLB to prevent injuries. Unfortunately that has not been the case so far. Buster Olney thought after Giancarlos Stanton’s MVP season was ended due to a face injury that helmets like Heyward’s should be used more often. “Face flaps for helmets are like safety belts in cars in the ‘70s -- they are available, they could prevent serious injury, and as Heyward and others have demonstrated, there is really no downside to wearing one, just as there was no strong counter argument to wearing a helmet, beyond personal comfort” (Rosenbaum 2014). Olney’s quotes frame the comfort level of wearing a special helmet like Heyward’s. Heyward has no issue wearing it and says it doesn’t affect his production. Rosenbaum per Bleacher Report thinks Stanton’s injury could have been prevented if he was wearing a special helmet. He frames the sadness of having an MVP season cut short due to irresponsible safety regulations in the MLB. “While it’s doubtful that players would jump on board with the idea of a revised (read: more complicated) helmet—the helmet designed specifically for concussions is yet to catch on—it does have the potential to at least protect hitters in instances when they struggle to recognize a pitch, which seemingly is what happened with Stanton on Thursday” (Rosenbaum 2014). Without sufficient rules demanding players to wear these special helmets, it is unlikely players will switch to them and Heyward will be in the minority.

The side of the story most media members don’t talk about is how the pitcher feels after hitting a batter in the head. They go through not only mental emotion but physical as well. “There is a second side to this story though, one that is often overlooked. After the game when Fiers spoke with the media he was visibly upset about the incident. To the point of near tears, Fiers expressed his sympathy and sorrow for the unintentional pitch that struck Stanton in the face. His concerns were with Stanton and his emotions could not have been any more sincere” (Nitkowski 2014). Nitkowski takes the perspective of a former pitcher. He once hit a player in the face and had a hard time recovering from it. He was scared to pitch the ball inside to batters thinking he would hit someone again. Shortly after he plucked a batter in the face he was sent back to the minors because mentally and physically he was not ready to pitch again. Nitkowski does a great job at framing the story from an athlete’s perspective that is rarely seen in these circumstances.

After all these incidents with players getting hit in the head, the main focus turned to concussions. “While there have been occasional reports of severe concussions in baseball, the sport hasn’t been on anyone’s radar as a high risk for brain injury. The Freel case underscores the fact that concussions can be a problem even in sports where they occur less frequently, experts say” (Carroll 2013). Carroll writing for NBC News frames her story around medical findings and facts from prominent doctors. Certain concussion protocols have been called for like Newsday explains. “Under the proposal, the addition of a seven-day DL would allow teams to replace the injured player while they recover, and hopefully eliminate the incentive to rush that player back, which can lead to lingering post-concussion syndrome. On average, according to MLB's research on the matter, concussions can be resolved within four to six days. Currently, MLB's shortest disabled list is 15 days, which often makes teams reluctant to sideline a player for more than two weeks” (Lennon 2010). In some cases, the MLB has made changes to baseball regarding head injuries. Just this year a rule was set to eliminate home plate collisions due to the high number of concussions. St. Louis Post Dispatch frames its story around St. Louis Cardinal’s manager Mike Matheny who used to be a catcher. “Matheny gave a strong presentation to the committee about his own career, which ended because of the concussions he sustained while playing catcher. Matheny has talked openly about how he once viewed collisions as part of the toughness of the position, a proving ground for a catcher's ability to defend the plate. His opinion changed as he dealt with post-concussion syndrome and wondered why baseball needed to risk debilitating injuries” (Goold 2013). Goold frames the article from a players perspective having their career cut short due to home plate collisions. It is hard for athletic trainers to diagnose concussions in baseball unlike it is in football because there are fewer collisions. MLB’s medical director Gary Green explains for the USA Today. “Doctors and trainers are really dependent on the athletes to report symptoms,” said Green, “pointing out they are not as obvious with concussions as with other injuries. The NFL (case) has created an awareness of what's going on, and that's been helpful in educating players.” In this article Ortiz explains the point of view from athletic trainers who are rarely heard of but important to the concussion conversation.

Despite the horrific injuries suffered in baseball, the MLB will most likely never make players wear gear they are not comfortable with. “When spring training games began last week, major-league hitters were required to wear new, bulkier batting helmets that reportedly offer more protection from 100-m.p.h. fastballs” (The Los Angeles Times 2013). These helmets were eventually scrapped because players were not comfortable with them. It is a player’s choice whether he wants to be as safe as possible like Jason Heyward and Alex Torres have demonstrated. The media has framed these two people as pioneers to the game and wants the rest of the MLB to follow as well. As new technological gear come out in the future it will be interesting to see how the MLB adopts or if it will keep its status quo. Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports has a major issue with the MLB and its regard for player safety. “MLB issued a response that said any pitcher interested in trying a model of the approved protective cap, manufactured by isoBLOX, should contact his team's equipment manager. It'll even schedule an appointment. Yet the Reds and other clubs contacted by USA TODAY Sports say they've never been issued a single protective cap. They haven't even been notified they're available for experimental use” (Nightengale 2014). If the protective gear hasn’t even been issued for all players then the MLB seems like it doesn’t really care about head injuries. With it being a mutli-billion dollar industry you would think the MLB would find a fix to all of this by now.

Works Cited