Eight Pitchers With Newfound Stuff in Spring Training

Leiter, the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft, mostly struggled in nine MLB games last year but looks better this spring. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

This is the most dangerous time of year for pitchers. The white paper MLB published this winter after its deep dive into the root causes of the pitcher injury epidemic found that spring training is more hazardous to pitching health than the regular season.

Data in the report showed that IL placements for pitchers between the opening of camp and Opening Day rose 45% over the past four seasons. But from Day 2 through Game 162, pitcher IL placements have gone down four straight seasons.