THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,397 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,397 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
General  | General | 5/21/2021

Wolforth Thrower Mentorship: Article 8

Jerry Ford
Ron Wolforth
Photo: Johnny Tergo/Truth Baseball
Ron Wolforth probably knows more about the throwing arm and arm care than anyone we know. Many of you may have heard about the famous Texas Baseball Ranch that Ron has been running for many years. We have built a great relationship with Ron and his wife Jill over the years.

It all started a few years back when Ron sent his son Garrett to a Perfect Game event. His son was a catcher/infielder and set some all-time PG records for pop times (1.75) and velocity (89 mph) at the time. He also threw mid-90s across the infield. He is now playing professionally. Being an average-sized kid, this really drew our interest. Once we realized who his father was, it became clear.



Since then we have followed the Texas Baseball Ranch closely. Ron is a very humble man, which is a reason so many speak highly of him. We have never run across a single person that shows any disrespect for him or the Ranch. So we decided to ask him to help our millions of followers.

Over the years he has helped thousands of pitchers, including many that became Major League All-Stars. Yes, he teaches velocity gains, better control and command, and everything a pitchers needs to be successful. However, unlike many others, he is an absolute stickler when it comes to doing it safely. His interest doesn't just involve velocity gains and other improvements, all of which are very important. He wants his students to understand arm care and how to throw and stay healthy. He does this without a cookie cutter program. He understands that all players are different individuals.

Perfect Game's interest in prospects, arm care and keeping young kids healthy is the major reason we have decided to work with Ron Wolforth.

Below is the eighth of an ongoing column he will be doing on our Perfect Game website. This information will be gold for any player interested in improving their throwing ability and staying healthy. Make sure you read every column he contributes and feel free to comment on them.

If you want to attend one of his camps and improve your throwing ability, here is the link to the website:
https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/

Jerry Ford
President
Perfect Game

. . .

Article 1: Where the Sidewalk Terminates
Article 2: The Exact Location of Your Arm Pain is Incredibly Valuable Information
Article 3: No Pain, No Problem...Right? Not Quite So Fast.
Article 4: The Secret to Accelerated Skill Development: Hyper-Personalization
Article 5: The Case Against Weighted Balls?
Article 6: The Truth About Pitch Counts, Workloads, and Overuse
Article 7: Velocity Appraisal: How 'Hard' Is 'Hard Enough'?

 It might surprise a certain percentage of the population who have never been to the Texas Baseball Ranch®, but one of the more common phrases used with our athletes is this:
 
“While velocity will certainly give you opportunity…
 
It will be command that will give you more innings in competition…
 
And it will be creating swings and misses on a regular basis that will give you your best chance at advancement…
 
And most importantly, having a healthy, durable arm will afford you the only chance for a long career.”
 
We realized long ago that velocity was actually one of the easier variables to affect. While certainly important, it was not the single most important variable; it simply is the most obvious and talked about. As I’ve alluded to before, health and durability is, by far and away, the single most important variable since everything else is built and then sustained around a robust arm/elbow/shoulder.
 
Next comes recovery – our ability to bounce back and return to full functionality is absolutely critical to consistent performance. So many people miss or glide over the recovery piece with little thought or emphasis, which is nearly always a poor choice. I urge you to take recovery very, very seriously and begin that emphasis even as young as 12 years of age. I promise you it will serve you well.
 
We talked about Velocity and Velocity Enhancement in Article 7 and we will discuss the importance of the “swing-and-miss” stuff in Article 9.
 
In this article, we will dissect command. How accurate do you really need to be?
 
I always ask my clients during our initial video analysis, “Are you a strike thrower?” It has been fun to watch the reactions and responses over the years.  I find if they hesitate at all on the question, they are not a strike thrower.
 
It’s very much like asking a young person if they are a good student. If they don’t immediately respond in the affirmative, they almost always have had some difficulty in a particular subject or subjects.
 
The best answer I ever received on the question of, “Are you a strike thrower?” was from a minor league pitcher who never hesitated and said, “If they’re swinging, I am!”
 
I found that answer hilarious. I literally laughed for days after whenever I thought about the simple brilliance of that answer.
 
The following is a simple truism that ALL aspiring young pitchers must understand:
 
“Every level you go up, the strike zone will get smaller…and the hitters will get better.”
 
I often follow up that factoid with something along the lines of, “And if that doesn’t keep you up late at night, I don’t know what will.”
 
My point to my athletes is this: Whatever degree of command that you have at your current level will likely not be sufficient at your next level of ascension in order to replicate the results that you are achieving now. You must constantly improve your command. This improvement is simply not only a good idea, I would suggest it is imperative.
 
So, let’s dig into the “command onion”.
 
Obviously, no one throws 0% strikes, and no one throws 100% strikes.
 
The full range we are really talking about in assessing command is between 45% strikes to around 75% strikes.
 
So here is the foundational assessment we use at the Texas Baseball Ranch® for grading current levels of command:
 
< 50% strikes. You are currently considerably behind your competitive peer group in terms of command. If not addressed and corrected, command almost certainly will be a primary constraint to your advancement.
 
50-55% strikes. You are currently slightly behind your competitive peer group in terms of command. If not addressed and corrected, command may prove to be a constraint to your advancement.
 
56-63% strikes. You are on track for adequate command at your CURRENT level of play. 
 
64-69% strikes. You are slightly ahead of your competitive peer group in terms of command. Something other than command will be a greater constraint to your advancement. How is your pain, recovery, velocity, and stuff/spin/deception?
 
>70% strikes. You are significantly ahead of your competitive peer group in terms of command. We would recommend that you spend your training time on some things other than just primarily command/accuracy.
 
For some of you, you don’t really know what your strike percentages are per outing. For those of you who don’t, 1) I strongly recommend this becomes something you chart and 2) for initial discussion purposes, I will use walks as an indicator instead. Most players and parents understand and can look up that metric.
 
It is common for you to walk more than 1 hitter in an inning.  You are currently considerably behind your competitive peer group in terms of command. If not addressed and corrected, command will almost certainly be a primary constraint to your advancement.
 
You average about 1 walk per inning. You are currently slightly behind your competitive peer group in terms of command. If not addressed and corrected, command may prove to be a constraint to your advancement.
 
You average about 1 walk every 2-3 innings. You are on track for adequate command at your CURRENT level of play. 
 
You average 1 walk every 4-5 innings. You are slightly ahead of your competitive peer group in terms of command. Something other than command will be a greater constraint to your advancement. How is your pain, recovery, velocity, and stuff/spin/deception?
 
You average less than 1 walk every 6 innings of work. You are significantly ahead of your competitive peer group in terms of command. We would recommend that you spend your training time on including some things other than just pure command/accuracy.
 
Coaching Points
 
As we conclude our discussion on command, I want to touch upon two important concepts.
 
#1 The Concept of “Slight Edge”
 
The difference between command that is woefully inept and command that is world-class is only about one more strike thrown every five pitches. In other words, it’s about improving just one pitch per hitter. That’s it!
 
Let’s use 100 pitches for ease of demonstration.
 
50 strikes and 50 balls in 100 pitches would be very precarious command. But if for every five pitches thrown, we simply improved one strike, our numbers would be 70-30. That’s how thin actual elite performance is.
 
Our pitchers don’t need to make huge improvements in command to really shift the balance in their favor... Keep that in mind. Small hinges swing big doors. It is definitely worth your effort and attention.
 
#2 Command Is An “ALL the Time” Thing, Not A “Sometime” Thing
 
Your bullpen is not a time to “work on your command”, it is a time to “evaluate your command work”!
 
Command matters on every single throw you make regardless if that is long toss, catch play, or even PLYO ball arm care into a wall! Command matters. Every single throw must have a very specific target and deserves attention. Aim small… miss small.
 
“We are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not a single act but a habit.”

-Will Durant (summarizing Aristotle’s philosophy)
 
So many young people miss this...
 
Don’t be one of those people.
 
Until next time,
 
Stay curious and keep reaching for the stars.
 
Coach Wolforth
CEO - The Texas Baseball Ranch®

P.S. Our next topic will cover our Swing-and-Miss Appraisal: How “Nasty” is “Nasty Enough”?

Coach Wolforth has written six books on pitching including the Amazon Best Seller, Pitching with Confidence.  Since 2003, 122 of the players Wolforth has trained have been drafted and 458 have broken the 90mph barrier.  He has consulted with 13 MLB teams, dozens of NCAA programs and has been referred to as “America’s Go-to-Guy on Pitching” and “The Pitching Coaches Pitching Coach”.  Coach Wolforth lives in Montgomery, Texas with his wife, Jill.  They are intimately familiar with youth select, travel baseball and PG events as their son Garrett (now a catcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization) went through the process.  Garrett still holds the PG Underclass All-American Games record for catcher velocity at 89mph which he set in 2014 at the age of 16.

If you would like a free copy of Pitching with Confidence, go to freepitchingbook.com.
Give us your feedback
General | General | 2/23/2026

PG Salutes Chet Brewer, a Youth Baseball Pillar
Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PG Salutes Chet Brewer, a Youth Baseball Pillar A few weeks ago, Perfect Game and its Believe in Baseball foundation held a fundraising event in Los Angeles. The “In the Spirit of the Game” dinner and auction brought in thousands of dollars, all of which will go toward providing deserving youngsters an opportunity to play and grow in the game. Chet Brewer was not at the event – the former Negro Leagues star died at age 83 in 1990 – but his spirit was. Big time. “That night was all about Chet,” PG commissioner Dennis Gilbert said. “He was all about giving kids chances to play the game, especially kids from underprivileged backgrounds. “When you’re 15, 16, 17 years old – those years are the basis of your life. Chet helped put a lot of kids on the right path through the game of baseball.” Brewer’s impactful life has...
Read More
Draft | Mock Draft | 4/3/2026

PG Staff Mock Draft

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Welcome to another Perfect Game Mock Draft. This is not your typical mock draft as it features 15 different GMs drafting the first two rounds of the draft. Each member of the mock draft was assigned two teams and as such will be drafting all of the picks in the first two rounds for each responsible team. The actual draft order will be presented below and we will dive into how teams made their selections and how they feel about the players drafted. It is important to note that this is not how we think the draft will play out in almost any capacity. This is simply an exercise 4 months ahead of time with a large portion of the scouting staff and some picks fall under personal favorites, best available, and a multitude of other factors. Chicago White Sox 1:1 Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA | 1:41 Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame The White Sox don’t overthink here and select Roch Cholowsky, who has...
Read More
High School | General | 4/2/2026

High School Notebook: April 2

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Lennex Minor (‘28 CA) absolutely destroys this offering to the PS for a 2-run shot. 2-4 on the day w/ 4 driven in. Athletic in the box w/ a quick stroke and strength throughout the frame. Also closed out the game running the FB up to 88 in a St. Bernard win #PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/KF7BsKGcm7 — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 29, 2026 Lennex Minor, MIF/P, St. Bernard (2028) Minor had a massive day in my look this past Saturday in a game being played at the University of San Diego.  The sophomore had a pair of hits, one which was a no-doubt homer, and drove in four.  Minor’s athleticism jumps out on the field with twitchy actions both at the dish and in the dirt.  He features a 6-foot, 170-pound frame with room to add and generates from a strong lower half and exceptionally quick hands.  Showing two-way potential, he made an...
Read More
High School | General | 4/2/2026

NHSI Scout Notebook

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
An extended look at ‘26 RHP Wilson Andersen… 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K. @HailStateBB signee. #NHSI26 @JesuitBaseball @Florida_PG @PG_Draft @PGAllAmerican https://t.co/VLwECd2qZ8 pic.twitter.com/JbTFR3Gd2l — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 30, 2026 Wilson Andersen, RHP, Tampa Jesuit  Andersen got the ball on day two of the event and showed a quick tempo, pounding the zone with a power mix. He ran the fastball up to 97 mph, working comfortably in the mid-90s, with a power curveball/changeup mix he showed confidence in. He’s one of the top right-handers in the class that saw his stock rise in Cary. Andersen is signed with Mississippi State.    An extended look at ‘26 RHP Cooper Sides… 5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. @LSUbaseball signee. #NHSI26 @olubaseball @PG_Draft @California_PG https://t.co/Ag1MfBAR5a pic.twitter.com/5wSszVjBn8...
Read More
All American Game | Story | 4/2/2026

All American Classic Heading to Citizens Bank

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME DICK’S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC HEADED TO CITIZENS BANK PARK IN 2026   Perfect Game makes debut at iconic Phillies venue during America’s 250th birthday celebration   Former Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel named Honorary Chairman of All-American Classic   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Thursday, April 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that the 2026 Perfect Game DICK’S All-American Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, marking the first time a Perfect Game event has ever been held at the iconic home of the Philadelphia Phillies.   The game will take place on...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/1/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 1

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Welcome to another week of Perfect Game Small School baseball — and if you're looking for clarity at the top, you've come to the wrong place. Across all three classifications, the No. 1 spot is very much an open question, and nobody is sleeping comfortably right now. In NCAA Division II, Pittsburg State is stumbling at precisely the wrong moment, leaving the door cracked wide open for hungry challengers to come knocking. In the NAIA, defending national champion LSU Shreveport has dropped four straight and suddenly looks far more vulnerable than a program of their pedigree ever expects to be. And in NCAA Division III, the race for the top ranking is less a competition and more a ten-car pileup of elite programs, none of whom have done enough to pull away — and all of whom have done plenty to deserve it. Three classifications, three vacancies at the top, and a whole lot of...
Read More
Juco | Story | 4/1/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 1

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Another week of JUCO baseball and another week full of wins for No. 1 ranked Johnson County . The Cavaliers have won 18 games in a row and have swept through the Jayhawk Conference to this point, setting a new school home run record along the way. Walters State returns to the top 5 this week on the strength of a 12-game winning streak. Both McLennan and Pearl River are coming off of undefeated weeks and look like strong top 10 caliber teams, while Midland (now 30-3) continues to climb in the rankings for the third consecutive week. For the first time all year this ranking will feature 4 California schools as Palomar joins Ohlone, Fresno City and Santa Ana in the JUCO rankings. Check back in next week for an update as most of JUCO baseball is now past its halfway point in the 2026 season. RK School Week Overall 1 Johnson County (KS) 4-0 34-2 2 Gaston (NC) 2-1 35-3 3 Walters State (TN) 3-0...
Read More
College | Story | 4/1/2026

Collegiate Midseason All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Midseason Awards * denotes Midseason Award Winner - All-Americans chosen based on statistics, prospect status, future projection, among other factors - Only true freshmen considered for Freshmen All-American teams - All Statistics as of Monday, March 30th First Team Hitters Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB C Vahn Lackey Georgia Tech JR .423 .541 .845 36 41 9 1 10 36 7 1B Quinton Coats Cincinnati SO .360 .441 .896 38 45 8 1 19 46 7 2B Jarren Advincula Georgia Tech JR .411 .489 .563 31 46 2 0 5 30 5 3B Ace Reese Mississippi State JR .330 .417 .661 32 36 12 0 8 37 1 SS Roch Cholowsky UCLA JR .350 .493 .730 39 35 8 0 10 32 1 IF Dee Kennedy Kansas State JR .430 .549 .910 44 43 10 1 12 43 15 OF Will Gasparino UCLA JR .351 .468 .794 31 34 5 1 12 38 1 OF AJ Gracia Virginia JR .350 .504 .650 37 36 7 0 8 24 1 OF Landon Hairston* Arizona State SO .469 .551 1.027 44...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 3/31/2026

High School Top 50: March 31

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Another pair of weeks has gone by this high school season and with that we have another High School Top-50 Update. Southern states are within a few weeks of the end of the season while some northern states are just getting started this week. Through the end of the spring, we will be bringing you updates to the Top-50 along with state rankings updates coming soon. For the first time in 2026, we have a new #1 in the country as Orange Lutheran (CA) takes over the top spot after winning the NHSI. Venice (FL) came in second place at the NHSI after a thrilling game against Orange Lutheran and comes in at #2. Previous #1 team in the country St. John Bosco (CA) rounds out the top-3 and will have a big showdown against Orange Lutheran starting tonight. Barbe (LA) boasts a 26-1 record and comes in at #4 while Corona (CA) continues to string together wins and holds down the #5 spot in this update....
Read More
College | Story | 3/31/2026

PG Collegiate Midseason Awards

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Midseason Awards  Perfect Game Midseason Player of the Year:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The season sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston is putting together is generational, even amongst the Hall of Fame talent Arizona State has fielded over the years.  Hairston, the 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ has his club on track for another postseason appearance and they will make plenty of noise in the Big 12 regular season.  To put things in perspective on Hairston’s season, he is currently 5th in the nation in batting average, 3rd in hits, 8th in hits per game, tied for 2nd in home runs, tied for 5th in runs scored and is 4th in runs batted in so far.  He holds a batting average of .469 while slugging 1.027 and reaching base over half the time with an OBP of .551.  Hairston walks more than he strikes out and has 12 doubles, 17...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 3/31/2026

14u East Spring Opener Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Roman Keister (2030, Dade City, FL) Could not miss the barrel this weekend tallying 6 hits including 2 triples and 4 RBI. Starts the load early and controls his body well, the up the middle approach really plays in game. Also worked from off the mound for an inning and picked up a punch out.  Colton Russo (2030, Coral Springs, FL) Showed off the power burning outfielders all weekend. 5 hits including two triples that carried over the CF and RF heads. Has a good understanding about using the lower half in the swing and the bat to ball skills really impressed.  Karson Blakney (2030, St. Augustine, FL) Made his impact in a big way this week, collecting the win in the quarterfinals. In his outing he went 5 shutout innings and struck out 5 while only allowing 2 hits. Worked in the mid 70s with the FB and topped out at 78. Also produced on offense driving in 5 RBI on 4 hits. ...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.