Hard-throwing teens draw scouts, scholarships. More and more, they may also need Tommy John surgery

TEMPE, Ariz. — Most teenagers celebrate their high school graduation with friends, family and maybe a party. “And they’re getting younger.” Dr. Gary Waslewski — who works with the Arizona Diamondbacks — said there are a number of factors that can cause a young baseball player to suffer an early elbow problem, including overuse, which has long been blamed for injuries. Another culprit is something Waslewski called “chasing velocity,” which he defines as trying to add a few more miles per hour to a pitcher’s fastball before a teenage body is ready. Velocity kills elbows.” Hayden Hurst’s personal Tommy John story fits that profile — he had the surgery at 14 after his eighth grade school year. “You’re doing a surgery to get a kid a free education, or helping him as a professional prospect,” Waslewski said.