TL;DR: Pitch Smart is MLB's official youth pitching safety program defining daily pitch count maximums and required rest days for pitchers ages 7 through 22. Bullpen Report enforces these rules automatically across every team a pitcher plays for.

What Is Pitch Smart?

Pitch Smart is Major League Baseball's official youth pitching safety program, developed in partnership with USA Baseball and the American Sports Medicine Institute. It defines daily pitch count maximums and required rest days for pitchers ages 7 through 22. Little League, USSSA, Perfect Game, and most travel organizations reference these guidelines as the baseline for arm safety.

The program exists for one reason: overuse injuries in youth pitchers — including Tommy John surgery — have reached epidemic levels. Research has found that pitchers who exceed recommended workloads are significantly more likely to require surgery. Pitch Smart was built to stop that.

Pitch Smart Pitch Count Limits by Age

Every age group has a daily maximum — the most pitches a player should throw in a single outing regardless of rest.

Age Group	Daily Maximum
7–8	50 pitches
9–10	75 pitches
11–12	85 pitches
13–14	95 pitches
15–16	95 pitches
17–18	105 pitches
19–22	120 pitches

Required Rest Days After Pitching

Rest requirements are based on how many pitches were thrown — not how the arm feels. A pitcher who "feels fine" still needs the mandated rest days.

Age	0 Days	1 Day	2 Days	3 Days	4 Days
7–8	1–20	21–35	36–50	—	—
9–10	1–20	21–35	36–50	51–65	66+
11–12	1–20	21–35	36–50	51–65	66+
13–14	1–20	21–35	36–50	51–65	66+
15–16	1–30	31–45	46–60	61–75	76+
17–18	1–30	31–45	46–60	61–80	81+

The Multi-Team Problem Pitch Smart Does Not Solve

Pitch Smart works perfectly when a pitcher plays for one team with one coach tracking everything. Most travel baseball families know that is not reality.

A 10-year-old who throws 45 pitches for his rec team on Wednesday needs 2 days rest. His travel coach on Saturday has no idea he pitched Wednesday. By the third inning, he has thrown well past what his arm can safely handle across the week — and no one connected the dots. The guidelines are only as effective as the information behind them.

How to Track Pitch Smart Compliance Across Multiple Teams

The only reliable way to enforce Pitch Smart when a pitcher plays for multiple teams is to track everything in one place and make sure every coach sees the same number. Every pitcher in Bullpen Report gets a permanent BR Player ID — a unique identifier coaches use to find existing players instantly. When a coach adds a player using his BR ID, pitch counts from every other team flow in automatically.

Visit MLB.com for the complete official Pitch Smart guidelines by age group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do rest days reset after a certain period?

Pitch Smart rest day requirements are based on the most recent outing only. Once the required rest days have passed, a pitcher is cleared for his next outing. The guidelines do not specify a weekly cumulative limit, though total weekly workload is an important factor in long-term arm health.

What counts as a pitch for rest day purposes?

Any competitive pitch thrown in a game setting counts — including warmup pitches in an inning, but not typically bullpen warmup sessions before a game. Some organizations count bullpen sessions toward weekly totals, which is a more conservative and increasingly recommended approach.

Are Pitch Smart limits enforced by Little League?

Little League International has its own pitch count rules closely based on Pitch Smart guidelines. Umpires and league officials are responsible for enforcement during games. Compliance across multiple leagues and organizations is the responsibility of parents and coaches.

MLB Pitch Smart Guidelines 2026: Youth Pitcher Pitch Counts and Rest Day Rules by Age