I think the pace they throw the ball at has to have something to do with it now too. Just in the last several years the number of pitchers throwing above 95 and above 100 seems to have dramatically increased.
If you’ve ever paid much attention to some of the big time high schools err “sports academies” in California where they “recruit” from the entire state and more, it’s crazy. We are probably dramatically better at finding and training kids to throw heat.
Good point.
And I don't think you have to throw 95+ if the ball gives you great movement. At the extreme, look up wiffle ball pitching on youtube; its wild.
This page suggests the number of 95+ mph fastballs more than doubled in 10 years: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-fast-fastball-isnt-en...
It could be that making it easier to throw tricky off speed pitches would take the load off of arms (and add some fun variety to the game).