I think you need to understand that pitch counts are simplistic guidelines that are easily tracked by coaches, parents, etc. As Dr. Tom House who is a big supporter of pitch counts, says “There are 3 things that contribute to keeping a pitcher’s arm healthy: Workload, bio mechanical efficiency, and functional strength…. Sure, we can create functional strength in an arm to handle more pitches and increase the energy in, energy out equation, but not everyone has access to that kind of training,….“. Thus, pitch counts.
BTW, these are the CT high school baseball rules which require less rest than Pitch Smart:
1. CIAC Pitching Limitation Rule – This Rule applies to a pitcher regardless of the level at which he is pitching (includes Freshman JV and Varsity and regular season, league and state championship playoffs) and is based on the number of legal pitches thrown in a game/day. The pitch count is based on pitches thrown to the batters during their time at bat. Warm-up pitches allowed before each inning and those warm-ups allowed by the umpire in case of injury or game delay do not count. All NFHS substitution and pitching rules must be followed.
If a pitcher throws 1-25 pitches in a day, no calendar day of rest is required before pitching again.
If a pitcher throws 26-50 pitches in a day, one (1) calendar day of rest must be observed.
If a pitcher throws 51-75 pitches in a day, two (2) calendar days of rest must be observed.
If a pitcher throws 76-110 pitches in a day, three (3) calendar days of rest must be observed.