The Braves have placed a heavy precedence on pitchers over the last decade and have produced a number of stars, most recently Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach. Next up could be 2022 first-round pick J.R. Ritchie.
Ritchie immediately started turning heads as an 18-year-old following the MLB Draft, posting a 1.88 ERA over his first five professional starts. Unfortunately, the dreaded, but common Tommy John surgery cut his 2023 campaign short and forced him to miss about half of 2024. He didn’t miss a beat when he returned, though, recording a 2.90 ERA with 56 strikeouts across 49.2 innings.
“The 2022 draftee came back from 2023 Tommy John surgery and showed why he was a first-round caliber talent, reaching High-A and finishing with a 2.90 ERA, .214 BAA and 10.1 K/9 rate over 49 2/3 combined innings. With the elbow injury further in his rearview, let’s see what the right-hander can do when the gloves come off a bit and he puts in a full season of innings.”
Through five starts this season, Ritchie — now 21-years-old — is showing why he was deserving of the hype coming into the year. He owns an outstanding 1.93 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP, and opponents are hitting just .179 against him. With a couple of more high quality performances, he could be next in line for a promotion to AA.
Ritchie’s unlikely to be a super high strikeout guy as he moves through the system. He has just 23 punch-outs in 28 innings this season, and his fastball sits in the low-90s, which likely limits his ceiling. However, he does have some swing-and-miss with plus-control, giving him a more than respectable outlook of a mid-rotation starter.
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Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
