Pitch Smart Guidelines: Pitch Counts and Rest by Age
- Pitching guidelines, Pitch Smart guidelines
- Last checked Nov 1, 2026
- By Julien Levadoux
Pitch Smart recommends a daily limit of 50 pitches at ages 7–8 rising to 120 at 19–22, with up to 4 days of rest for most ages (5 at 19–22). Many travel and independent leagues adopt it; it's guidance, not a league rule, unless your league says so.
The MLB / USA Baseball Pitch Smart (guidelines) rest tables
Ages 7–8 · 50 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–20 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 21–35 | 1 calendar day |
| 36–50 | 2 calendar days |
Ages 9–10 · 75 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–20 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 21–35 | 1 calendar day |
| 36–50 | 2 calendar days |
| 51–65 | 3 calendar days |
| 66–75 | 4 calendar days |
Ages 11–12 · 85 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–20 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 21–35 | 1 calendar day |
| 36–50 | 2 calendar days |
| 51–65 | 3 calendar days |
| 66–85 | 4 calendar days |
Ages 13–14 · 95 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–20 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 21–35 | 1 calendar day |
| 36–50 | 2 calendar days |
| 51–65 | 3 calendar days |
| 66–95 | 4 calendar days |
Ages 15–16 · 95 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–30 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 31–45 | 1 calendar day |
| 46–60 | 2 calendar days |
| 61–75 | 3 calendar days |
| 76–95 | 4 calendar days |
Ages 17–18 · 105 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–30 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 31–45 | 1 calendar day |
| 46–60 | 2 calendar days |
| 61–80 | 3 calendar days |
| 81–105 | 4 calendar days |
Ages 19–22 · 120 pitches a day at most
| Pitches in a day | Rest before pitching again |
|---|---|
| 1–30 | None: may pitch the next day |
| 31–45 | 1 calendar day |
| 46–60 | 2 calendar days |
| 61–80 | 3 calendar days |
| 81–105 | 4 calendar days |
| 106–120 | 5 calendar days |
Other limits
- These are guidelines, not a rulebook: they apply when your league or tournament adopts them.
- Don't pitch on three days in a row, whatever the counts.
- Don't pitch in more than one game on the same day.
- Pitchers should avoid playing catcher when they aren't pitching.
- Ages 9–12: no more than 80 innings pitched in any 12 months, at least 4 months a year off from throwing, and only fastballs and changeups.
- Ages 19–22: at least 3 months a year off from competitive pitching, including 4 weeks in a row off from all overhead throwing.
Source: MLB Pitch Smart — Guidelines for Youth and Adolescent Pitchers (Pitch Smart guidelines (current)). Checked Nov 1, 2026.
The calculator above is set to Pitch Smart. Pick the player’s age, enter the pitches and the day.
What Pitch Smart is
Pitch Smart is a set of guidelines from MLB and USA Baseball, based on medical research into youth arm injuries. It isn’t a league’s rulebook: it applies to your player only if the league, team or tournament adopts it. Many travel organizations do, and Little League’s own limits follow the same numbers for the ages it covers.
How it compares
For ages 7 to 16, Pitch Smart’s daily limits and rest thresholds match Little League’s. It goes further up the age range, to 105 pitches at 17–18 and 120 at 19–22, where a 106–120 pitch outing calls for 5 days of rest.
The advice beyond the numbers
Pitch Smart’s guidelines also recommend rest from overhead throwing for part of the year. They advise against pitching on more than one team at once, and against pitching while the arm is sore or tired. And they say not to use radar guns, or to pitch and catch in the same game, at young ages. The numbers are only part of it, and the guidelines themselves are worth reading in full.
Explained in our own words, not an official ruling: in a competition, the committee, league or umpire decides, and local rules apply.
Sources
- Pitch Smart guidelines, MLB and USA Baseball