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General  | General | 6/17/2021

Wolforth Thrower Mentorship: Article 11

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 eleventh 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'?
Article 8: Command Appraisal: How 'Accurate' Is 'Accurate Enough'?
Article 9: Swing & Miss Appraisal: How 'Nasty' Is 'Nasty Enough'?
Article 10: 5 Common Mistakes Baseball Players Make In Their Training

I’m fairly certain by now, if you are a parent of even an eight-year-old pitcher, you’ve heard many of the horror stories regarding curveballs, sliders, and cutters.
 
In fact, one nationally-known orthopedic surgeon, who also happens to be one of the team orthopedics for an MLB organization, five years ago called for the banning of all curveballs and sliders for prepubescent populations. This doctor even went as far as calling for the ejection and suspension of pitchers and their coaches who utilize any form of the breaking ball in an organized game.
 
Many in the media, as well as other prominent members of the medical profession, have applauded and echoed his “courageous” and “principled” stand. As injuries and surgeries to young pitchers increase, in my opinion, the clamoring for legislation to “protect” the youth athlete will inevitably increase as well.
 
So… am I, as a non-medically certified individual, going to dare to “cross the Rubicon” and actually disagree with the orthopedic oligarchy and many in the medical establishment on the topic of curveballs, sliders, and cutters?
 
My answer is: If not the Texas Baseball Ranch®, with our track record of years of keeping young men healthy, then who?
 
If not now, then when?
 
In our opinion, it is not so much that some of what the medical experts assert is wrong, but rather that what is sometimes forwarded as absolute unassailable truth is often far too simplistic and incomplete.
 
As Mark Twain once wrote, “What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so.”
 
Here is what we, at the Texas Baseball Ranch®, believe are the commonsense elements regarding the utilization of breaking balls.
 
Over my 25+ years’ experience in training pitchers, in my personal opinion:
 
1.    Curveballs, sliders, and cutters are not the bane of select or travel baseball. Their uses are frequently forwarded as universally dangerous and are often a very convenient whipping boy for injury and all sorts of throwing maladies. However, in our opinion, this archaic hyperbole and overstatement unnecessarily foments fear and anxiety and fails to address the full spectrum of challenges to a pitcher’s health and durability.
 
Instead of developing a fear of breaking balls and completely avoiding them altogether, we suggest a much more measured, holistic approach. If you are a parent of a young select/travel ball pitcher, we urge you to become familiar with the following six contributors, which we have found are the primary obstacles and impediments to arm health and durability.
 
Understanding these will serve you much better than having a phobia on breaking ball usage.
 
I actually have listed them in the exact order we view their impact and importance to health and durability.
 
Type I Contributors Structure Related: Physical misalignments, asymmetries, strength imbalances, constraints in mobility/flexibility and/or strength/stability.
 
*Type II Contributors Movement Pattern/ Mechanical Efficiency Related: The movements, sequences, synergy, coordination, and motor control related to actually throwing the ball. (*Throwing a curveball incorrectly would actually fit in this category.)
 
Type III Contributors Preparation Related: Ramp up to Season, Ramp up to Session/Game, Wake-up/Warm-up, Pre-training, Pre-game, Post-game, Arm care.
 
Type IV Contributors Training Related: How your training process affects your abilities (Strength, Mobility, Conditioning, Throwing programs).
 
Type V contributors Internal Systemic Related: Sleep, Nutrition, Hydration.
 
Type VI Contributors Workload/ Recovery Related: How much, how long, how often, how many per inning, how quickly you return to full speed.
 
2.    Totally avoiding breaking balls until the pitcher "shaves” is, from our perspective, naive, foolish, and an overreach. Curveballs, sliders, and cutters, when taught incorrectly, can indeed become catalysts for unnecessary stress and contribute to injury. However, the exact same thing can be said about fastballs and changeups, but I rarely see or hear the same intense scrutiny for the utilization of both of these.
 
3.    Throwing a curveball, slider, and/or a cutter are very specific skills. These skills can be learned and polished. There are better, more efficient, more effective ways and there are less efficient, less effective, more dangerous/stressful ways to throw these pitches. If thrown correctly, the stress generated on a breaking ball IS NOT more than on a fastball. In fact, the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) found that thrown correctly, the stress generated on a breaking ball can actually be LESS than a fastball.
 
Bottom Line: The topic of whether or not to throw curveballs, sliders, and cutters falls just below politics and religion in terms of the degree of angst and heated debate. There are many, many ways to place your arm at higher risk than simply the act of throwing a breaking ball, yet we rarely address those. I believe we should, as a force of habit, consider them all.
 
It is my hope that our weekly conversations assist you in separating the wheat from the shaft and making the best-informed decisions for our young athletes.
 
Until next time,
 
Stay curious and keep reaching for the stars.
 
Coach Wolforth
CEO - The Texas Baseball Ranch®  

P.S. Our next lesson… “What Is Involved in ‘Deep, Deliberate Practice’ vs. Traditional Practice?”


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.

General | Blog | 12/10/2025

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Jim Salisbury
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Youth Baseball Executive Don DeDonatis III Joins PG By Jim Salisbury  It’s free-agent season in baseball and Perfect Game has landed a big one. Don DeDonatis III joined PG as a consultant in November. The DeDonatis name is synonymous with youth baseball and softball. Along with his dad, Don Jr., DeDonatis helped build USSSA into a big hitter in the game. He brings decades of experience and knowledge to PG. “We all acknowledge that Donny has moved on from USSSA,” PG CEO Rob Ponger said. “This is a new chapter for him and we hope both sides take advantage of it to help youth sports in general. “The DeDonatis name has a legacy attached to it and we’re hoping that Donny is going to help us. PG is a growing brand and he’s on board to help.” DeDonatis was CEO at USSSA from 2018 until his exit from the company two years ago. “I’m...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

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Tyler Russo
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Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

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Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

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Jason Phillips
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Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
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Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

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Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
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College | Story | 12/12/2025

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Craig Cozart
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Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
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Troy Sutherland
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
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