| W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | SO | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 3.60 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 1.20 |
| Career Minors | 2 | 6 | 3.14 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 77.1 | 95 | 1.09 |
| G | W-L | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 1-1 | 3.60 | 10 | 8 | 1.20 |
| Career Minors | 21 | 2-6 | 3.14 | 77.1 | 95 | 1.09 |
| Season | Tm | LG | L | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 Teams | Minors | 0 | 0 | 1.88 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 14.1 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 0.98 | |
| 2022 | FCL Braves | FCL | ROK | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.69 |
| 2022 | Augusta GreenJackets | CAR | A | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 1.10 |
| 2023 | Augusta GreenJackets | CAR | A | 0 | 1 | 5.40 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 13.1 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 1.05 |
| 2024 | 3 Teams | Minors | 2 | 5 | 2.90 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 49.2 | 39 | 21 | 16 | 6 | 17 | 56 | 1.13 | |
| 2024 | FCL Braves | FCL | ROK | 0 | 1 | 6.14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7.1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1.50 |
| 2024 | Augusta GreenJackets | CAR | A | 1 | 3 | 1.95 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 32.1 | 23 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 40 | 1.02 |
| 2024 | Rome Emperors | SAL | A+ | 1 | 1 | 3.60 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 1.20 |
| FCL Braves | FCL | ROK | 0 | 1 | 3.86 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 11.2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 1.20 | |
| Rome Emperors | SAL | A+ | 1 | 1 | 3.60 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 1.20 | |
| Augusta GreenJackets | CAR | A | 1 | 4 | 2.91 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 55.2 | 41 | 23 | 18 | 4 | 17 | 75 | 1.04 | |
| Career Minors | 3 Teams | 2 | 6 | 3.14 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 77.1 | 59 | 33 | 27 | 7 | 25 | 95 | 1.09 |
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Bainbridge Island in Washington state can be found across Elliott Bay from Seattle and is home to roughly 25,000 people. A player hasn’t been drafted from the island since Brian Coleman went in Round 55 back in 1990. Ritchie, an athletic right-hander who first stood out as an underclassman on the summer showcase circuit in 2020, should have the combination of stuff and feel for pitching to him become the first Bainbridge resident to get drafted in over 30 years.
Ritchie showed off three or four outstanding offerings this past summer, and it's largely been more of the same this spring. He’s touched as high as 97 mph but typically sits in the 93-95 mph range with his fastball. His go-to breaking ball had been his curve, and he still throws it, but he featured a sharper low-80s slider that missed a ton of bats against good competition. He throws his changeup with good arm speed and similar velocity as his slider.
Ritchie can throw strikes with all of his offerings and has a simple and repeatable delivery that points to future strike-throwing. The UCLA recruit doesn’t play against a high level of competition in Bainbridge, but that hasn't stopped scouts from crossing the bay to evaluate him.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
The state of Washington has had its fair share of high school arms get drafted, sign and go on to big things in the big leagues, a list headlined by lefties Jon Lester and Blake Snell and right-hander Jason Schmidt. Hailing from Bainbridge Island, Ritchie hopes to be the next Evergreen State native to reach the highest level after the Braves took him No. 35 overall in the 2022 Draft. That ascent was put on hold when he was shut down after just four outings in his first full season and had Tommy John surgery in May.
When Ritchie is healthy, he shows off a potential four-pitch mix and had an impressive feel for his repertoire, especially given his age. His fastball was typically sitting in the low-90s, and he could reach back for 95-96, but it’s his ability to spin breaking stuff that really made him stand out. His slider has become a plus out pitch, a sharp low-80s breaker that misses a ton of bats, but he also folds in a decent slower curve. He should have an average changeup with good deception thanks to good arm speed.
Athletic on the mound, Ritchie repeats his delivery and should be a solid strike-thrower once he returns. Even if that happens at some point late in 2024, the 2025 season will be the first time the Braves will get a true sense of what he is and if he can reach his ceiling as a mid-rotation starter.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
As the 2022 Draft approached. JR Ritchie and Owen Murphy were ranked back-to-back on MLB Pipeline’s Draft Top 250 list. The Braves nabbed Murphy in the first round and then doubled up on high school right-handers by getting Ritchie, who calls Bainbridge Island in the state of Washington home, 15 picks later in the Competitive Balance Round A. Ritchie received a bonus of $2.4 million, a bit over slot, to join the organization and made a solid, albeit brief, pro debut after signing. He made four outings to start his first full season of pro ball before getting shut down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in May.
Ritchie and Murphy are bound to be compared to one another as they climb up the Braves’ ladder, and there are some similarities, from general build to athleticism on the mound. While Murphy’s fastball might be ahead, Ritchie’s feel for his secondary stuff surpasses Murphy’s. His best pitch is his slider, a sharp low-80s breaking ball that misses a lot of bats, but he also has a slower effective curve he can fold in. He sells his changeup well with good arm speed.
Like Murphy, Ritchie also repeats his delivery well and throws a ton of strikes with all four of his pitches. He and Murphy will be able to push each other and develop together, with both having the chance to pitch in the middle of the Braves rotation in the future.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Bainbridge Island in Washington state can be found across Elliott Bay from Seattle and is home to roughly 25,000 people. A player hasn’t been drafted from the island since Brian Coleman went in Round 55 back in 1990. Ritchie, an athletic right-hander who first stood out as an underclassman on the summer showcase circuit in 2020, showed a combination of stuff and feel for pitching to become the first Bainbridge resident to get drafted in over 30 years, going No. 35 overall to the Braves and signing for a slightly over-slot bonus of $2.4 million rather than head to UCLA for college.
Ritchie showed off three or four outstanding offerings this past summer, and it was largely more of the same this spring. He’s touched as high as 97 mph but typically sits in the 93-95 mph range with his fastball. His go-to breaking ball had been his curve, and he still throws it, but he featured a sharper low-80s slider that missed a ton of bats against good competition. He throws his changeup with good arm speed and similar velocity as his slider.
Ritchie can throw strikes with all of his offerings and has a simple and repeatable delivery that points to future strike-throwing. His stuff and feel for pitching helped him win state Gatorade player of the year honors and point to a future as a starter in the pro game.
| Week | Team |
|---|---|
| 07/14/2024 |
|
| Team | Date | Transaction |
|---|---|---|
|
08/27/2024 | RHP JR Ritchie assigned to Rome Emperors from Augusta GreenJackets. |
|
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07/12/2024 | Augusta GreenJackets activated RHP JR Ritchie from the 60-day injured list. |
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06/17/2024 | Augusta GreenJackets sent RHP JR Ritchie on a rehab assignment to FCL Braves. |
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03/26/2024 | Augusta GreenJackets placed RHP JR Ritchie on the 60-day injured list. |
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11/03/2023 | Augusta GreenJackets activated RHP JR Ritchie. |
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05/25/2023 | RHP JR Ritchie roster status changed by Augusta GreenJackets. |
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05/11/2023 | Augusta GreenJackets placed RHP JR Ritchie on the 7-day injured list. |
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05/11/2023 | Augusta GreenJackets placed RHP JR Ritchie on the 7-day injured list. |
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08/23/2022 | RHP JR Ritchie and assigned to Augusta GreenJackets from FCL Braves. |
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08/13/2022 | RHP JR Ritchie assigned to FCL Braves. |
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07/30/2022 | Atlanta Braves signed RHP JR Ritchie. |
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06/11/2022 | RHP J.R. Ritchie assigned to College Workout. |
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06/11/2022 | College Workout activated RHP JR Ritchie. |
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08/18/2021 | RHP J.R. Ritchie and assigned to PG West. |
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07/13/2021 | PG National 8 - Purple activated RHP Ian Ritchie. |
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07/08/2021 | American activated RHP Ian Ritchie. |
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07/08/2021 | American activated RHP Ian Ritchie. |
