By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network
In June 2016, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced a revised pitching policy that will result in new rules for pitchers beginning with the 2017 season.
Each NFHS member state association will be responsible for setting its own restrictions for high school pitchers which will set both a pitch count and a longer required rest period between mound appearances based upon pitches.
Here in New Jersey, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is expected to approve a proposal that a special committee recently drafted, limiting varsity baseball pitchers to a maximum of 110 pitches in a single game.
There are also new proposed per-game pitch rules stipulating mandatory rest periods.
1-30 pitches – no rest between appearances
31-50 pitches – one calendar day of rest
51-70 pitches – two calendar days of rest
71-90 pitches – three calendar days of rest
91-110 pitches – four calendar days of rest
Additionally, a pitcher throwing fewer than 30 pitches in a game will not be permitted to throw more than 50 pitches in two consecutive days. Pitchers will not be permitted to pitch on three consecutive days.
Previously, New Jersey high school pitchers had restrictions on how many innings they could pitch in a week, but there weren’t any specific pitch counts.
The NJSIAA is expected to make a formal announcement by February 2017.
A panel of experts will join former Major League pitcher Tommy John for a discussion about pitch counts, best practices for pitching and throwing, the importance of extended recovery periods for young athletes, and the truths and myths of Tommy John surgery. 
Ed Randall is well-known to baseball fans in the NY/NJ area. A long-time host of “Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball” on WFAN, Ed is the CEO and Founder of Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure (FFTC), a 501(c)(3) charity he started in 2003 to promote prostate cancer awareness and the life-saving value of screenings and early detection. 
I don’t necessarily have a problem with the 7-inning, 128 pitches but – and this is a BIG but – only if he was conditioned to do so and it was an extremely rare occurrence. That means having the pitcher throwing progressively for a month and a half to 2 months prior to the season. That includes throwing several high intensity bullpens, up to 100 pitches in total. Those bullpen innings should have rest between each (approx. 5 minutes) and various pitch counts per inning to simulate a real game. I would also adjust his throwing routine over the next 10 days or so to give additional recovery time.