THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,496 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,496 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
General  | General | 7/15/2021

Wolforth Thrower Mentorship: Article 13

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 13th 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
Article 11: The Truth About Curveballs, Sliders, and Cutters
Article 12: What is Involved in Deep, Deliberate Practice vs. Traditional Practice

 The internet is replete with thousands of ideas and opinions on the efficacy of long toss for pitchers. Some coaches and gurus contend long toss is one of the most dangerous activities a pitcher could possibly engage in from a health and injury perspective.  Others claim it’s simply a waste of valuable training time because it doesn’t follow the principle of specificity, confuses release points and encourages inefficient game time mound mechanics.  Still others insinuate it’s a Godsend and is the answer to almost any pitching ailment with which your athlete could possibly be confronted.
 
The result is that many parents and coaches get frozen by this myriad of wide-ranging opinions.  They don’t want to hurt their young man or place him in unnecessary risk; yet on the other hand they know how closely tied having a power/electric arm is to opportunity and advancement; so, they often become frozen with indecision and choose a middle course which all but guarantees mediocrity. 
 
A few internet gurus even claim they have a specific recipe which overrides or shortcuts the long toss route.  To me personally, most of these recipes are simply attempts at marketing their product, attempts at simply being provocative for effect and/or are a flat out “red herring”.
 
So where does The Ranch fall on the long toss continuum?
 
The answer is WAY, WAY, WAY toward the “long toss is a Godsend and the answer” end of the spectrum.  While we don’t quite view long toss as the ultimate answer for EVERY ailment; long toss, in our view, is an exceptionally valuable instrument in our toolbox for developing the power/electric arm.
 
For those who knock long toss as a valuable asset in one’s development toolbox (and in fact they are many, including many in professional baseball), I find they most often fail to grasp, recognize or accept these primary truths.
 
Truth #1.  One can throw without pitching, but one can never pitch without throwing, meaning clearly that throwing begets pitching, not the other way around.  Therefore, to become a prolific pitcher, one must first become a prolific thrower.  This truth is simply not debatable.
 
Truth #2. There are two primary elements involved in being a world class pitcher.  One is skill.  The other is ability. You will need both. Long toss is an “ability“ creator/augmenter/enhancer/developer.  The body is forced by its goal of maximum distance to organize itself differently and recruit body parts/potential contributors differently.  This assists us in creating the training effect we often seek.
 
Neither one of these truths is insignificant.
 
I personally find those who rail against long toss are often obsessed or stuck on the “skill” side of the equation and simply can’t see that it will be in the freedom, the experimentation, the self-discovery, the expansion and the body’s organization for length where multiple benefits of skill specific strength, range of motion, neuromuscular firing, accommodation and recruitment can and will take place.
 
Motor Learning Pioneer Russian Nikolai Bernstein, the man responsible for coining the term “biomechanics”, had a hypothesis (later referred to by engineer Pauly Nyman as the Bernstein Principle) that we use as the core of our training at The Ranch.
 
The Bernstein Principle: The body will organize itself based upon the ultimate goal of the activity.
 
In other words, if the brain’s goal is for the body to throw the ball for maximum distance or maximum speed, the body will then organize itself to achieve that goal.  In essence the goal or intent of the activity directly affects how the body responds.
 
This is specifically why long toss, in my opinion, is a very beneficial activity.  It encourages the body to recruit and organize itself for higher end point velocities.  Does THAT sound like a good idea to you?  Yes or no?
 
Let me close with a story I often tell at clinics or when I’m consulting to make my point on the efficacy of long toss vs. all the naysayers out there who literally pick the activity for death.
 
The anti-long toss people’s primary criticism of long toss can most often be boiled down to the fact that it is not game-like enough and actually interferes with the “ideal mechanics and release point” needed to pitch a baseball at the highest levels.  In their opinion, the only way a pitcher can develop into a high caliber pitcher is to actually pitch off a mound at game distance.
 
I counter this argument by taking them precisely at their point.
 
Let me explain.
 
Imagine we have two identical twins.  At the age of three we begin to let them throw.  Twin A, we’ll refer to as The Freedom Twin.  Twin B, we’ll refer to as the Specificity Twin.
 
Twin A, we encourage and allow to move back as far as he can every single session he throws.  In essence we will allow him to throw long toss every time out.  We measure his distance and the next time he throws we encourage him to see if he can exceed his distance from his last time out.  The only stipulation we place on him is that he cannot back up until he can hit his partner 10 consecutive times without his partner moving more than one step in any direction.
 
Twin B, on the other hand, we limit to never going further back and throwing even one foot further than we would actually pitch in a game at his age level.  So up until he is 12, Twin B never throws a ball beyond 46 feet and spends his time focusing exclusively on mechanics.  By the time he reaches 14 years of age, the specificity twin is working primarily off a mound 60-feet, 6-inches away.  So, from the age of 3 until he is 18, Twin B has NEVER thrown a ball more than 60-feet, 6-inches away from his target…and I repeat never, under any circumstances will the specificity twin be allowed to throw a ball beyond 60-feet, 6-inches.
 
From the age of 3 until they are both 18, these two boys throw three times a week, 40 weeks of the year for about 45 minutes a session.  They throw the same exact number of throws.  The only difference is their process.
 
You tell me, which twin has the strongest and most powerful arm.
 
You see the anti-long toss people would scoff at the 60-feet, 6-inches limitation as ridiculous, but I’m just forcing them to strictly adhere to their stated principles.  If specificity is indeed the be all and end all of pitching, I’m simply not allowing them to have it both ways.  From my perspective, most of these self-proclaimed experts obviously fail to recognize the difference between skill and ability.
 
Elite performers certainly do need high levels of skill – no question.  But they also need exceptionally high levels of ability as well.  And just like any other animal in nature, if constrained to a much smaller space than is ideal, they can never and will never grow and expand to the limits of their natural ability.
 
I will state for the record that long toss in not a panacea.  It does not cure all pitching ailments.  Long toss is simply a tool.  It certainly can be misused, misapplied, mishandled, have an improper emphasis or be improperly executed or administered.  All that said, the risk of utilizing long toss pales in consequence to failing to use it as part of your total development package.  In my opinion, long toss is an absolutely invaluable tool for any aspiring young pitcher.
 
I look forward to continuing our discussion.
 
Ron Wolforth
CEO - The Texas Baseball Ranch
 
PS. Next time my topic will be “The Truth About Conditioning of Pitchers”.

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 467 have broken the 90 mph 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, TX 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 | 6/16/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 66
Ron Wolforth
Article Image
  The Number That Just Killed MLB Expansion: 1,217   USA Today's Bob Nightengale dropped a bomb shell recently that the baseball world is still digesting. Major League Baseball wants to expand to 32 teams. Team executives are quietly opposing it and the reason has nothing to do with cities or money.   They cannot find enough healthy pitchers.   Between 2020 and 2024, professional baseball performed 1,026 Tommy John surgeries at the minor-league level alone. Another 191 at the Major League level. More than twelve hundred elbow reconstructions in five years on the best young pitchers in the world.   That is not bad luck. That is a system reporting a verdict on itself.   For fifteen years, the youth-baseball industry has chased one number: velocity significantly more than projectability and arm care.    Recruiters scout by it.    Social...
Read More
College | Story | 7/7/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stripes

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Collegiate National Team: Stars Notes Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stripes Position Players  Nico Partida ...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/8/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
13u World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Chaysten Fuentes (2030, Ewa Beach, HI) worked really well from the right side of the plate ending up with five hits and a double in the last two days. The right handed hitting Hawaiian has a ton of strength to the body. The hands work directly to the ball and can hit to all fields in the approach. Has done an incredible job getting the barrel to almost everything and gets on plane in the turn.  Triston Valdez (2031, Castaic, CA) was electric on day four batting .500 with a double, triple, and five rbis. The barrel is really quick to the ball and works with a level path. Against NY Gotham 13u Ghost, Valdez would not be denied demolishing the bases clearing triple way back into the RCF gap. Stays inside the baseball consistently with the hands and torques it hard.  Christopher Julian Leija (2031, Weslaco, TX) really showed out the last two...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

Two Day Rewind at 15u National Elite

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Two days into the 2026 Perfect Game 15U National Elite Championship, the storylines are already beginning to take shape. As one of the summer’s premier invite-only events, the tournament annually brings together many of the nation’s top 15U clubs, with 100 elite teams traveling to Hoover in pursuit of a championship. While there is still plenty of baseball left to play, the opening rounds have already produced breakout performances, dominant team victories, and plenty of excitement heading into bracket play. Several nationally recognized organizations entered the week as favorites, including MTBA Dawgs, ranked No. 3 nationally, Wildcatters Baseball at No. 10, and 5 Star Mafia, ranked No. 12. Meanwhile, newer programs like Jason Kidd Select Team have quickly shown they are capable of making noise against the nation’s best. One of the biggest storylines through the first...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

15u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Tristan Barton (‘29, TX) has struck out three over three scoreless innings of work, getting a lively FB up to 89. Mixed in a sharp vt CB w/ late bite. Operates from a projectable RH frame w/ length + room to fill. #NatElite @Texas_PG pic.twitter.com/LXfkLOtxdo — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 5, 2026 Tristan Barton (’29, Gunter, TX) turned in a strong start on Sunday, lasting four innings of one run ball, striking out four. Barton operates from a bigger lengthy right-handed frame with considerable room to fill. He starts with a mid-body handset before working to the belt and into a high compact leg lift. Barton fires down via a compact arm action and high three quarters slot. The Texas native got a run/ride fastball up to 89, living in the mid-80s throughout the outing. He mixed in a sharp 12-6 curveball with vertical depth and late bite. Jack Graviss...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Nolan Ash (2028, Ashland, Mo.) showed off the power upside for Natty State 2028. The right-handed hitter starts from a spread stance with in-line feet and a high handset with a high back elbow, utilizes a leg lift stride. Creates separation and uses a direct hand path with a slightly uphill bat plane and some feel to generate lift from the lower half. Quick hands and stays in-sync with a rotational lower half and solid bat speed. Showed the power belting a solo bomb over the left field fence. Long and lean 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame with wiry strength present and more room to fill. The shortstop has a high ceiling and feel for the barrel. Colton Dodds (2028, Columbia, Mo.) showed off the barrel feel and power upside for Natty State 2028. The right-handed hitter starts from a wide base with in-line feet and a high handset with a high back elbow, utilizes a no stride trigger. Direct hands...
Read More
College | Story | 7/7/2026

Coppy's Corner: July 7 Summer Edition

John Coppolella
Article Image
It’s an exciting time for College Baseball. Not only do potential and proposed changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) elevate the game, but we are coming off a thrilling College World Series and less than a week away from Major League Baseball’s 2026 Amateur Draft. In the middle of it all is the Cape Cod Baseball League.  The amateur players on the Cape are the future stars of the 2027 MLB Draft. The league runs from June 13th  through August 2nd. Games are played at historic stadiums in Old New England towns. It’s beautiful and charming. Hollywood even made a movie about the Cape Cod League ~25 years ago called Summer Catch. It scored an 8% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, but, on the plus side, it featured 2001 Jessica Biel in a starring role.  It was so much fun writing Coppy’s Column this spring. My hope is to highlight a pitcher and...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/6/2026

16u WWBA Rolls Into Marietta

Will Dembo
Article Image
More than 300 of the nation’s top 16u teams will meet in East Cobb, Georgia this week as the 16u WWBA Championship gets underway. Over 50 ranked teams from across the country will compete for one of the most prestigious titles in travel baseball, drawing scouts and fans from all over. Pool play will commence on Monday, July 6th with the championship game set for July 13th at the storied East Cobb Baseball Complex. Canes National 16u will hold honors of being the top ranked team entering the event as they have earned a No. 2 national ranking following a dominant 17-2-1 start to their season. The highly touted program is home to many of the top ranked prospects from the 2028 class including talented two-way athlete, Grant Arnold (No. 12 overall) who lives in the 90’s from the mound as well as middle infielder, Bryan Mesa (No. 14 overall) who will draw lots of attention this...
Read More
College | Story | 7/6/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stars

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stars Position Players  Anthony Pack Jr.  FR / OF / University of Texas ...
Read More
Draft | Mock Draft | 7/6/2026

MLB Mock Draft: 4.0

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
MLB Draft: Top 500 Update Pick Team Name Pos. School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 8 Athletics Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals AJ Gracia OF Virginia 14 Miami Marlins Derek Curiel OF LSU 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 16 Texas Rangers Liam Peterson RHP Florida 17 Houston Astros Justin Lebron SS Alabama 18...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/5/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Michael Wedgeworth (2030, Flomaton, AL) had put the two way ability on full display so far this week, dominating from both sides. On the mound Wedgeworth ran the fastball up to 84 (81-83) with ease to the delivery. Broke off a couple nasty curveballs that induced swing and miss, as well as freezing hitters for punch outs. Collected six in his four inning complete game. He also would not be denied at the plate going 3-5 in the first two days with two doubles. Very intriguing young player as the body continues to grow.  Tyler Bellush (2031, Summerville, SC) is a sure handed shortstop for the Canes Nation squad. Swings it from the left side of the plate and the barrel accuracy has really stuck out thus far. 3-4 through the first couple days with a double and two triples, Bellush has also walked twice and collected 3 RBI along the way. Yesterday against USA Prime with the bases loaded,...
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.