HOW TO TELL IF YOUR PITCHER IS  GETTING TIRED

Number Of Pitches Thrown. There isn't anybody on this planet that can give me one valid reason why coaches at any level of play would not keep a pitch count on their pitchers! In no time at all, you will know for sure at what number of pitches any of your pitchers are starting to run out of gas. It can influence the outcome of the game by leaving the pitcher in the game too long but more importantly it can increase the chance of injury to your pitcher's arm. It's one of the easiest things to do on the ball field. You can pick one person on the team to do it. It can be the manager, coach or a player on the bench. If you are not doing this, you have to start doing it immediately. 

Elbow Dropping Down. Watch carefully to see if your pitcher's elbow is starting to drop below the point that it is normally raised to, which is usually about shoulder height. When the elbow starts to drop down low, it's because fatigue has set in and the arm is saying "no" when the pitcher is asking it to elevate. Obviously, this would not apply to side-arm pitchers because their elbow is low already. Aside from a pitch count, which is foolproof, this is a very strong warning sign that your pitcher is getting tired. It also causes a pitcher to start "pushing" the ball instead of throwing the ball. It will make the fast ball and off speed pitches miss high and the curve will flatten out. "Pushing" the ball instead of throwing the ball will also increase the chance of injury to the pitcher. 

Taking More Time Between Pitches. Be very observant if your normally fast worker has slowed down the pace considerably and is taking more time between pitches. In essence, it's the same as if he is hollering out to you that he's getting tired. Occasionally, the opposite can also be true. A normally slow and deliberate pitcher is starting to take less time in between pitches. This is because he knows he's tiring and wants to hurry up and get the inning over with.

Lack of Follow Through. The more a pitcher tires, the less he follows through and doesn't "finish" his pitches. It's affectionately called "getting lazy." Remember that the follow through protects the arm from coming to a sudden halt. When a pitcher stops following through, the risk is not just the game but more importantly, the risk is to injuring his throwing arm.

Change in Mechanics. Watch everything your pitcher is doing. Nothing specific, but just watch everything in general. He may be raising his front leg more, he may be raising it less, he may be turning his hips more or less, he may be leaning back more, etc. He may be consciously or sub-consciously changing his mechanics because he is tired. Knowing your pitcher's "normal" mechanics ahead of time will make it easier for you to recognize a change in his mechanics. 

Overstriding. Watch if suddenly your pitcher is taking a longer stride. That tells you that your pitcher is trying to use his legs more to compensate for his tiring arm.

Pitch Selection. It can vary as to what type of pitch he's throwing more or less of. Watch to see if your pitcher hardly ever throws breaking balls when behind in the count and now he's throwing breaking balls on 2-0 and 3-1. It's possible that he's tired and finds the breaking ball easier to throw but of greater concern is that the fastball may be hurting his arm when he throws it.

Power Pitchers. If you have a power pitcher on the mound and have watched batters swing late for two hours and all of a sudden they are out front and pulling his fastball, he is running out of gas. You should strongly consider making a pitching change.