In some exciting news on the farm, Braves top prospect JR Ritchie returned to the minors with the Low-A Augusta Green Jackets last night for his first start of the season after a couple of outings in the Florida Complex League.
Ritchie, a first round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school, is currently ranked the fourth-best prospect in the Braves system, according to MLB Pipeline. He was electric in his first few professional outings, but everything came to a screeching halt early last season when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery.
The good news is JR Ritchie is a fresh-faced 21-year-old. Nearly every arm these days has to have Tommy John surgery at some point, and he’s got plenty of time to get back on track, which began last night with a nearly flawless outing for the Green Jackets.
Ritchie punched out seven batters over five no-hit innings, allowing just one baserunner on a walk and facing the minimum.
Welcome back, JR Ritchie!
The @Braves' No. 4 prospect tallies seven strikeouts over five no-hit innings in his first start of the year for the Single-A @GreenJackets. pic.twitter.com/Ru8MJSdqZV
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 13, 2024
That’s about as perfect of an outing as one could hope for after such a long time off.
JR Ritchie and Owen Murphy were both taken in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school. Unfortunately, like Ritchie, Murphy just had to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery as well. However, before the injury, he was dominating everybody at the High-A level. Both of these guys have a ton of potential that they have yet to even tap into. If they can stay healthy, they could be huge fixtures for the Braves down the line.
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Photo: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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