THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,803 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,803 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
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 | Blog | 1/21/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 61
Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls- Part 1 You know what I love about the holidays? Good food, time with family, and the unspoken rule that nobody brings up religion or politics at the dinner table.   Why? Because they're powder kegs. Topics that bring out deep-seated beliefs and strong emotions.  Well, I accidentally lit one of those powder kegs recently, except it wasn't at the dinner table. It was on social media.   Our team posted a short clip of me at Boot Camp making what I thought was a pretty straightforward point: simply avoiding the curveball is far from a guarantee of arm health.   I wasn't trying to be provocative. I was just stating what I believed to be obvious after 30 years of doing this work.  But boy, did a few people have problems with it.   It became one of the most discussed posts in Ranch history....
Read More
College | Story | 1/23/2026

Conference Preview: American

Craig Cozart
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L UBA 24 30 8 19 Charlotte 36 22 18 9 East Carolina 35 27 13 14 Florida Atlantic 37 21 15 12 Memphis 22 33 8 19 Rice 17 40 10 17 South Florida 31 25 16 11 UTSA 47 15 23 4 Tulane 33 25 13 14 Wichita State 19 35 11 16 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Andrew Stucky UTSA .324/.514/.467 with 6 HRs, 40 RBI; durable 6-0/192 backstop with elite defensive skills and a wealth of experience, returning 1st team all-conference member 1B Cody...
Read More
College | Story | 1/22/2026

Conference Preview: Big 10

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Illinois 30 24 14 16 Indiana 32 24 16 14 Iowa 33 22 21 9 Maryland 27 29 12 18 Michigan 33 23 16 14 Michigan State 28 27 13 17 Minnesota 24 28 10 20 Nebraska 33 29 15 15 Northwestern 25 27 13 17 Ohio State 13 37 5 25 Oregon 42 16 22 8 Penn State 33 23 15 15 Purdue 31 23 11 19 Rutgers 29 28 15 15 UCLA 48 18 22 8 USC 37 23 18 12 Washington 29 28 17 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Mason Eckelman Ohio State Taken steps forward--...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

Back-to-Back MLK East for Phillies

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
TBT Phillies Scout run rules for second straight MLK East Championship The 14U TBT Phillies Scout Team overtook A3 Academy Futures 14-6 in the final game to win their second straight 2026 MLK East Championship. Though the skies were blue and the sun was out in Fort Myers, Florida, the air was very chilly. The wind whipped through the palm trees as players, parents and friends piled into the 5-Plex Player Development Complex bundled up in blankets, hoodies and beanies.  The A3 Academy Futures were first up to bat - and the TBT Phillies struggled through the first frame. The first run came across on a balk; the second came soon after off a double from Gabriel Messing. “I was surprised that they scored right away off the jump,” Kingston George said, an outfielder for TBT Phillies Scout and this year’s MVP of the 14U East MLK championship. “We were kind of quiet...
Read More
College | Story | 1/21/2026

Conference Preview: Big 12

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Arizona 44 21 18 12 Arizona State 36 24 18 12 Baylor 33 22 13 17 BYU 28 27 10 20 Cincinnati 33 26 16 14 Houston 30 25 12 17 Kansas 43 17 20 10 Kansas State 32 26 17 13 Oklahoma State 30 25 15 12 TCU 39 20 19 11 Texas Tech 20 33 13 17 UCF 29 26 9 21 Utah 21 29 8 22 West Virginia 44 16 19 9 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Jackson Natili Cincinnati .338/9/53; well-rounded bat with bat to ball skills and strong catch and throw 1B Brady...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

A New Path to the Next Level

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
A New Path to the Next Level: Inside Perfect Game’s College Instructional Series An important new PG event will help aspiring college players grow, get noticed COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The changing environment of college baseball has led to an innovative new event at Perfect Game, one that will connect high school players looking for an opportunity at the next level with the coaches who may be able to provide one. On top of it all, there will be plenty of expert instruction along with the spirited, tournament-style competition that PG is known for. The College Instructional Series will take place at six regionalized venues starting this summer. “This event will serve an important purpose for players and coaches,” said Adam Revelette, PG’s senior director of events. “Everybody we’ve talked to is very intrigued about the platform.” The event is geared...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Markus Chandler, RHP, Westside HS Class of 2027 A little on the undersized side as a sub 6 footer, but Chandler can generate some velo and spin.  Spun 3 frames of hitless ball for Spects National with zero walks and 6 strikeouts.  Committed to Kansas State, the righty ran the fastball to 92, living 89-92 pumping the zone with 75 percent strikes.  Looked like two different breaking balls, with the SL 80/81 (spin in 2500’s) and curveball 75/76.  No hard contact, little contact at all off the righty in this dominant outing. To follow up the pitching performance, Chandler swung the bat well on Championship Monday (Trademark Pending) with 5 RBI and three hits on the day, regularly on the barrel.  Trevor Alons, RHP, Centennial HS Class of 2028 Lean framed sophomore with a quick, whippy arm.  Playing up a few classes, you might...
Read More
College | Story | 1/20/2026

Conference Preview: Oregon State

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Record W L T Oregon State 48 16 1 Impact Player: Easton Talt, OF Impact Pitcher: Dax Whitney, RHP Impact Freshman: Mason Pike, RHP/MIF 2026 MLB Draft Prospects 1. Ethan Kleinschmit, LHP 2. Eric Segura, RHP 3. Zach Edwards*, RHP 4. Easton Talt, OF 5. Jacob Kreig, 1B 6. Wyatt Queen, RHP 7. AJ Singer, IF 8. Eli Gries-Smith, OF 9. Noah Scott, RHP 10. Paul Vazquez*, IF 11. Nyan Hayes, OF 12. AJ Hutcheson, RHP 13. Tyler Inge*, 3B 14. Bryson Glassco, IF 15. Jacob Galloway, C 2027 MLB Draft Prospects 1. Dax Whitney, RHP 2. Adam...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/18/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Cole Migaki (‘29 WA) w/ one of his 5 K’s thru 2-innings. FB 84-86 coupled w/ a firm BB that has 11/5 shape sitting 77-77. Balanced operation w/ a live, loose arm. Athletic frame at 6-ft, 170 that projects #MLKWest @PG_PacificNW pic.twitter.com/iBgAoajNUM — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) January 16, 2026 Cole Migaki (2029 Vancouver, WA) Was lights out in his start on Friday at MLK West, only needing 42 pitches to get thru three-innings and did not allow a hit or run while punching out 8.  Migaki overwhelmed opposing hitters, running his fastball up to 86 and mixing in a firm breaking ball at 75-77 with 11-5 shape and depth.  The athletic 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander is the top ranked third base prospect in the state of Washington for the class of 2029, collecting a couple of hits in his five at-bats and drove in a run.  Excellent start to...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 1/16/2026

Perfect Game Hires Blakeley As Regional Dir.

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME HIRES ERIC BLAKELEY AS REGIONAL DIRECTOR    Sanford, Florida (Friday, January 16, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the hiring of Eric Blakeley as a Regional Director. Blakeley brings more than two decades of experience in elite baseball and softball events, along with an accomplished background as both a collegiate and professional player.    Blakeley joins Perfect Game after building the highly respected Crossroads Baseball Series, where for more than 20 years he developed and operated baseball...
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.