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General  | Blog | 3/5/2024

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 36

Ron Wolforth
What's The Key to Optimal Arm Health and Durability for Travel Ball Pitchers?

Great news:
The most significant factor influencing arm health and durability – while also avoiding potential pain, injury, and the need for surgical intervention – is a variable that is relatively straightforward to implement and manage.

Bad News:
It's unfortunate that this variable is often overlooked by pitchers, parents, and coaches alike. Only a small number fully recognize its importance, and fewer still effectively incorporate it into their training and practices.



So, what exactly is this critical variable? While mechanical efficiency, physical structure, alignment, strength, and mobility play crucial roles, none claim the “top spot”. Even workload and pitch count – while also essential considerations – don’t even rank among the top five, in our opinion.

The most impactful variable is, in fact, the quality of soft tissue preparation and ramp-up specific to the intensity and volume of stress experienced during the competitive cycle of the individual athlete.

Allow me to explain.

Consider this scenario: I’m participating in a track meet where I have to run a 100-meter dash preliminary heat and 100 meter final within a three-hour window. I must run at or near my best in my heat to qualify for the finals and then again give a full effort to possibly secure a top-three placing. If I were to sustain an injury during these activities, would it be due to overwork or under-preparation?

The evident truth is that it would almost certainly be because I (along with my soft tissue) was underprepared for the specific demands I was subjecting myself to on that day.

It's hardly surprising that the most common months for UCL or labrum tears in professional baseball are March and April, while September and October witness the fewest. Yet, despite this well-known pattern, our focus appears to be disproportionately centered on managing workload and pitch counts during the season, with far less emphasis on preparing our soft tissue leading up to it.

Here at the Texas Baseball Ranch®, we refer to the process of soft tissue preparation as “Ramp-Up.” It is evident that the quality and effectiveness of an athlete’s ramp-up significantly impacts his or her immediate arm health and durability.
Upon closer examination, for a vast majority of athletes, only a relatively small percentage make significant adjustments in their mechanical efficiency, alignment, strength, and/or mobility from October through February. Therefore, for a significant portion of throwing athletes entering the season, the primary determinant of their health and durability is the efficacy of their soft tissue preparation.

In other words, when it comes to arm health and injury prevention, 
Ramp-Up is definitely KING!

So, what are the three essential keys to creating a high-quality ramp-up?

#1: Tissue Adaptation – Building tendon and ligament strength, robustness, and pliability takes time (a crucial factor often overlooked or under-appreciated). 

The timeline for noticeable improvements varies among individuals but typically involves initial adaptation within four to six weeks, intermediate progress spanning three to six months, and long-term development extending beyond six months. Unfortunately, many players, parents, and coaches mistakenly believe that two to three weeks of pre-season work are adequate to prepare soft tissue for the demands ahead. It's clear that this timeframe is insufficient. 

At the Texas Baseball Ranch®, we advocate for eight to twelve weeks of dedicated ramp-up prior to the season. (Even MLB teams have repeatedly made this error in the past.) Thankfully, such oversights are becoming less common with elite strength coaches, physical therapists, and athletic trainers shaping the training cycle.

#2: Start Earlier, Start Lighter, and Cycle UP. Instituting a longer ramp-up period reduces the risk of overextension or overexertion in the initial training weeks. This approach allows soft tissue the necessary time to adjust and adapt. 
Starting training later (closer to the beginning of the season) often leads to feeling the pressure to be game-ready. This results in higher intensity and possibly higher volume. Such a rushed process increases the probability of unprepared soft tissue, possibly leading to soreness, fatigue, pain, or injury.

#3: Cycle Your Work. Within each week, vary the intensity of your training sessions. Allocate two days for intense/heavy training, two days for light/low-intensity training, and reserve the remaining two to three days for moderate/medium-intensity sessions. 

As we regularly remind our athletes, “Avoid making every day a heavy day, as you risk crashing and burning. Similarly, don't make every day a light day, as you won't create enough stimulus for change.” 
“If every day is a medium day… which is by far and away the most common flaw in a majority of training… you will typically make some quick gains. However, you will also eventually plateau and stay right there for a long period of time.”
By cycling your work, you ensure consistent growth, optimum recovery, and maximum adaptation.   

Bottom line: If you want your arm to be healthy and durable, start your work in earnest eight to twelve weeks prior to the season. Give your soft tissue a fighting chance and the time to adapt and prepare for the intensity and volume ahead. Start earlier, start lighter, and cycle your work week to optimize recovery and maximize adaptation.   


Coach Ron Wolforth is the founder of the Texas Baseball Ranch® and has written six books on pitching including the Amazon Best Seller, Pitching with Confidence. Since 2003, The Texas Baseball Ranch® has had over 579 pitchers break the 90 mph barrier, 208 have toped 94mph or better, and 135 of his students have been drafted in the MLB’s June Amateur Draft. Coach Wolforth 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 professional catcher) 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.

- - - - - - - - -

Summer Events at the Texas Baseball Ranch®

Join our 3-Day “Elite Pitcher’s Boot Camps”, designed for pitchers aged 12 and above. We’re hosting seven unique camps this summer between Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. For additional details, visit: https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/elite-pitchers-bootcamp/

Interested in learning what sets our boot camps apart? Request our comprehensive information package by emailing Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com.
 
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General | Blog | 1/21/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 61
Ron Wolforth
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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....
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College | Story | 1/23/2026

Conference Preview: American

Craig Cozart
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College | Story | 1/22/2026

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Troy Sutherland
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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--...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

Back-to-Back MLK East for Phillies

Hannah Jo Groves
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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...
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College | Story | 1/21/2026

Conference Preview: Big 12

Tyler Henninger
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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...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

A New Path to the Next Level

Jim Salisbury
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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...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Steve Fiorindo
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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...
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College | Story | 1/20/2026

Conference Preview: Oregon State

Tyler Henninger
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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...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/18/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Steve Fiorindo
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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...
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Press Release | Press Release | 1/16/2026

Perfect Game Hires Blakeley As Regional Dir.

Perfect Game Staff
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    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...
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