The first piece of Nationals related content I saw was DJ Herz doing some throwing. This is great because it shows he is making progress in his Tommy John recovery. However, what interested me was the black band on his left elbow. Herz is not the only pitcher to be wearing one of these bands. In fact, it has been common this spring.
I wanted to learn more about this device and see why so many Nats pitchers are using this thing. What I found was very interesting. The device is a Pulse workload monitor made by Driveline. It costs $320 and is designed to help pitchers know their limits. Pulse measures arm speed and workload metrics. If a pitcher’s arm speed drops unexpectedly, you now know when to take a break.
This is a really cool device and is in line with the Nats new vision. We wrote about the Nats Driveline connection earlier this month, and this is just another example of that. While the Nats want to add stuff to their pitchers, they are also going to be aware of the potential injury risk that comes with that.
Based on my research, I think the implementation of this device is being driven by Pitching Coach Simon Mathews. Driveline mentions that the Reds were early adopters of this device. Kyle Boddy, the founder of Driveline actually worked for the Reds for a bit. There is an article from 2021 describing how the Reds had been implementing the Pulse device.
Mathews actually joined the Reds organization in 2021, and was involved in their rehab work for pitchers. That means he is very aware of this device and is likely a big proponent of it. It is no coincidence that it is all over Nats camp now. With that rehab background, Mathews is putting an emphasis on arm health.
However, this device is not just for pitchers with injuries. Healthy Nats arms have also been using it to track their workload. On one of the first days of camp, the Nats posted a photo of Brad Lord throwing, and he had the Pulse band on. It is easier to find a Nats pitcher wearing one than it is to see them without it.
This is such a cool contraption and it is one of many pieces of new technology the Nats have. Pulse obviously helps you catch potential injuries, but it can also help you optimize throwing plans. It allows you to know how far you can push a player while not risking injury or overuse. Optimizing performance is so important for pitchers, and this is a great tool for that.
It is not just the big leaguers using these things though. I saw a video of Nats third round pick Landon Harmon throwing a bullpen, and the 19 year old had a Pulse band on his right elbow. Honestly, this tool might be even more important for young pitchers who do not totally understand their limits yet.
That is not to say it can’t help veterans. There is a cool video from a couple years ago of Reds pitcher Nick Martinez talking about how much the Pulse band has helped him. For so long, the Nats were not taking part in these kinds of innovative practices. Now, with Paul Toboni at the wheel, the Nats are all in on innovating.
Honestly, keeping pitchers healthy might be the next great frontier for baseball minds. We know so much about how to optimize stuff, but it comes at the cost of pitchers’ elbows. If we can find a way to keep guys healthy while throwing nasty stuff, you can get an edge over the competition. The Pulse monitors are only the first step in that process, but it is cool that the Nats are trying this out.
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