Clearly the increased velocity and max effort pitching is the cause of all the injuries. This is not to say the shorter pitch clock does not have a minor role as some of these max effort pitchers would rest up to throw each pitch before the clock. That does not mean the pitch clock is bad. Just players and teams took advantage to increase velocity a bit more.
There is no good solution here unfortunately. Analytics tell us and will likely always tell us that more velocity and more spin produces better results. My solution is still to deaden the ball. Make the penalty for throwing strikes less than it has been in the past. A smaller strike zone is also something to consider as velocity makes it harder to throw strikes, though I do fear a parade of walks if that happens.
The livelier ball and the ease of hitting home runs has changed the game though. I think MLB is lying when they say nothing has changed. But even if they are not, deaden the ball to make it harder to hit home runs and the whole game will be better. Hitters will need a more contact-oriented approach and pitchers will do likewise (pitch to contact).
