Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55

The Braves dove in deep into the high school pitching market at the start of the 2022 Draft, taking three prep arms with their first three picks. Ritchie, taken in the Competitive Balance Round A and signed for just over slot, was sandwiched between Owen Murphy in the first round and Cole Phillips in the second. All three have had elbow problems: Phillips, now with the Mariners, has had two Tommy John surgeries; Murphy had TJ last June and Ritchie is putting his May 2023 surgery in the rearview, having returned to the mound for 49 2/3 innings in 2024.

After passing the test of taking the ball regularly and throwing strikes during his return, Ritchie’s velocity and crispness started coming back in 2025. The heater was back to averaging close to 94 mph, according to Synergy, and topping out at 97 mph while missing a decent amount of bats. The sharpness in his low-80s slider, which could get back to being a true out pitch with bite, has also started to reemerge. His changeup was very effective upon his return, and he sells the low-80s offering well with excellent arm speed.

Ritchie’s athleticism on the mound helped him repeat his delivery and allowed him to find the strike zone pretty consistently right out of the gate. The gloves can come off a bit in 2025, with the Braves getting their first real look at the Pacific Northwesterner who still has a mid-rotation ceiling.

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.

Video scouting report »

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.

Awards

INT Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
08/31/2025

SAL Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
05/11/2025

CAR Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
07/14/2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	07/16/2025	Gwinnett Stripers activated RHP JR Ritchie.
	07/15/2025	RHP JR Ritchie assigned to Gwinnett Stripers from Columbus Clingstones.
	07/11/2025	Columbus Clingstones placed RHP JR Ritchie on the temporarily inactive list.
	07/11/2025	National League Futures activated RHP JR Ritchie.
	05/13/2025	RHP JR Ritchie assigned to Columbus Clingstones from Rome Emperors.
	03/06/2025	activated RHP JR Ritchie.
	08/27/2024	RHP JR Ritchie assigned to Rome Emperors from Augusta GreenJackets.
	07/12/2024	Augusta GreenJackets activated RHP JR Ritchie from the 60-day injured list.
	06/17/2024	Augusta GreenJackets sent RHP JR Ritchie on a rehab assignment to FCL Braves.
	03/26/2024	Augusta GreenJackets placed RHP JR Ritchie on the 60-day injured list.
	11/03/2023	Augusta GreenJackets activated RHP JR Ritchie.
	05/25/2023	RHP JR Ritchie roster status changed by Augusta GreenJackets.
	05/11/2023	Augusta GreenJackets placed RHP JR Ritchie on the 7-day injured list.
	05/11/2023	Augusta GreenJackets placed RHP JR Ritchie on the 7-day injured list.
	08/23/2022	RHP JR Ritchie and assigned to Augusta GreenJackets from FCL Braves.
	08/13/2022	RHP JR Ritchie assigned to FCL Braves.
	07/30/2022	Atlanta Braves signed RHP JR Ritchie.
	06/11/2022	RHP J.R. Ritchie assigned to College Workout.
	06/11/2022	College Workout activated RHP JR Ritchie.
	08/18/2021	RHP J.R. Ritchie and assigned to PG West.
	07/13/2021	PG National 8 - Purple activated RHP Ian Ritchie.
	07/08/2021	American activated RHP Ian Ritchie.
	07/08/2021	American activated RHP Ian Ritchie.