MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark expressed concern Friday over how MLB teams are utilizing pitchers.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Clark spoke to reporters prior to Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, and said the following regarding teams' philosophies on deploying pitchers:

"The conversations that we've had with our players have suggested that unless or until you draw a line in the sand and force change, that the decision-makers on any one particular team are going to continue to make the decisions that they're making, which is have pitchers'—starting and relievers—max effort for the period of time that they can have them. As soon as they seem to run out of gas, as the data suggests that they're going to, recycle them out and to burn out another pitcher."

Pitching has evolved significantly over the years at the Major League level, as there is now less focus on starting pitchers going deep into games and more of an emphasis on specialization through the use of multiple relievers, almost all of whom throw the ball with great velocity.

Clark addressed the strategic changes, and in addition to expressing his belief that teams are "blowing out" their pitchers, he suggested they won't get away from it until they are essentially forced to do so:

"Developing starting pitching, having strong starting pitching—that historically has been the value proposition for 150 years—has been changed. So that's until the decision-makers determine that blowing out pitchers day in and day out as a result of how they're using them or what they're requiring of them is no longer the best way to treat their players, we'll see a change absent."

Clark also said players are "doing what it is they are being told they should do," which has departed significantly from what they were told to do for "the first 150 years the league was in existence," which featured a focus on starting pitchers going at least six innings and logging quality starts.

Per Ronald Blum of the Chicago Tribune, all MLB pitchers combined for only 26 complete games this season, which was the lowest single-season total in MLB history.

However, MLB batters only hit a collective .243, which was among the five-lowest batting averages in a single season since 1900.

That suggests using multiple pitchers and having them exert maximum effort is working in terms of keeping opposing hitters at bay, but it hasn't necessarily been a good thing for the health of pitchers.

According to Rogers, pitcher injuries continue to rise, as does the need for Tommy John surgery, which is a procedure that requires about one year of recovery time.

Rogers also noted that MLB has discussed "incentive-laden ways" to get teams to change their pitching usage, but it is unclear what can be done to truly influence clubs.

Putting firm rules in place for pitch counts or how often pitchers are allowed to be used could potentially curtail injuries to some degree, although it is fair to wonder if MLB wants to micromanage teams to that degree.