JR Ritchie

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #3 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Ritchie stood out for his advanced feel for pitching out of high school, and after the Braves acquired the 35th overall pick in 2022 in a trade with the Royals, they selected and signed him to a $2.4 million bonus. Ritchie has been quietly excellent in his brief time in pro ball, though he was limited to just 14.1 innings in 2022 after signing, and then his 2023 season was cut short after just 13.1 innings at Low-A Augusta thanks to a UCL tear in his elbow that required Tommy John surgery.
  
  Scouting Report: Ritchie has a lean pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and attacks hitters with a three-pitch mix. His fastball averaged 93.5 mph and touched 96, though he has gotten to 97-98 in the past. The pitch has just average life, but Ritchie has great feel to spot the pitch within the zone. His best offering in 2023 was a low-80s slider with high spin rates in the 2,500 rpm range. His slider has solid two-plane break that generated a 53% miss rate and an excellent 46% chase rate. Ritchie showed excellent feel to land his fastball and slider with precision and throw them for strikes. His mid-80s changeup is mostly used against lefthanders, and he frequently missed with the pitch down and to his arm side, though he got strong results with it in terms of misses and chases. Ritchie showed plus control prior to getting hurt and has a smooth, easy delivery. He repeats his release point consistently and lands balanced with minimal violence.
  
  The Future: Ritchie will spend the offseason going through Tommy John rehab and should miss a portion of the 2024 season. The Braves could push him quickly if he returns fully healthy and continues to show advanced pitchability. He has midrotation starter upside.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: A polished high school pitcher out of the Northwest, Ritchie was the back-to-back Washington Gatorade Player of the Year and worked with the same pitching coach as 2021 Phillies first-rounder Mick Abel. Ritchie ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the 2022 draft and signed with the Braves for $2.4 million in the supplemental first round. Atlanta acquired the 35th overall pick when it traded Drew Waters, Andrew Hoffmann and CJ Alexander to the Royals about a week before the 2022 draft.
  
  Scouting Report: Ritchie is nearly physically maxed out at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, but he requires less projection than most prep pitching prospects thanks to an advanced three-pitch mix and solid command. Ritchie sits in the low 90s with his fastball but touched 97-98 mph during the spring and got into the mid 90s during his pro debut, which culminated in three starts for Low-A Augusta. His fastball has just modest life and carry, though he has shown an ability to locate the pitch to both sides of the plate and change eye levels. Ritchie's secondaries are a low-to-mid 80s slider and a changeup in the same velocity band. Both are at least solid-average pitches that--like his fastball--he's shown impressive feel for. His slider has flashed above-average or plus potential in the past, though the shape of the pitch has come and gone depending on the start. Ritchie's slider generated a ton of whiffs in his brief pro debut and will likely be his most reliable out pitch moving forward.
  
  The Future: The Braves rave about Ritchie's advanced pitchability and mentality. He could start the 2023 season in either Low-A or High-A and it wouldn't be surprising to see him push to Double-A quickly in his age-20 season. Ritchie has back-of-the-rotation upside and a clear path as a starter.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 55

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #52 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Bainbridge HS, Bainbridge Island, Wash. Committed/Drafted: UCLA
  Age At Draft: 19.1
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: - | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: | Control: 55
  Ritchie has been one of the top arms in the Northwest for years, as a polished righthander with a solid three-pitch mix. He’s a smaller pitcher, but has added an inch of height and some more weight since last summer and is now listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. Ritchie has shown the stuff and performance throughout his career to fit as a top-two round talent in the draft. This spring, Ritchie was named the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight season, after he posted a 0.30 ERA over 39.1 innings with 84 strikeouts and just four walks. Ritchie typically pitches in the low 90s, but this spring he has shown impressive top-end velocity and reached 97-98 mph at peak earlier in his starts. He’s shown an above-average slider in the past, but the pitch was more inconsistent this spring and looked like more of a solid-average offering in the low 80s. His changeup is thrown with similar velocity in the low 80s and he shows good feel to land the pitch, with solid arm speed. He has the control to profile as a starter and scouts have been impressed with his feel for all his pitches and general ability to move the ball around the zone. While there’s not much in the way of future physical projection with Ritchie, he has a polished trio of pitches and refined control to get the most out of them. Ritchie is committed to UCLA and is older for the class. If he makes it to campus, he’ll be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: A polished high school pitcher out of the Northwest, Ritchie was the back-to-back Washington Gatorade Player of the Year and worked with the same pitching coach as 2021 Phillies first-rounder Mick Abel. Ritchie ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the 2022 draft and signed with the Braves for $2.4 million in the supplemental first round. Atlanta acquired the 35th overall pick when it traded Drew Waters, Andrew Hoffmann and CJ Alexander to the Royals about a week before the 2022 draft.
  
  Scouting Report: Ritchie is nearly physically maxed out at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, but he requires less projection than most prep pitching prospects thanks to an advanced three-pitch mix and solid command. Ritchie sits in the low 90s with his fastball but touched 97-98 mph during the spring and got into the mid 90s during his pro debut, which culminated in three starts for Low-A Augusta. His fastball has just modest life and carry, though he has shown an ability to locate the pitch to both sides of the plate and change eye levels. Ritchie's secondaries are a low-to-mid 80s slider and a changeup in the same velocity band. Both are at least solid-average pitches that--like his fastball--he's shown impressive feel for. His slider has flashed above-average or plus potential in the past, though the shape of the pitch has come and gone depending on the start. Ritchie's slider generated a ton of whiffs in his brief pro debut and will likely be his most reliable out pitch moving forward.
  
  The Future: The Braves rave about Ritchie's advanced pitchability and mentality. He could start the 2023 season in either Low-A or High-A and it wouldn't be surprising to see him push to Double-A quickly in his age-20 season. Ritchie has back-of-the-rotation upside and a clear path as a starter.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 55
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: A polished high school pitcher out of the Northwest, Ritchie was the back-to-back Washington Gatorade Player of the Year and worked with the same pitching coach as 2021 Phillies first-rounder Mick Abel. Ritchie ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the 2022 draft and signed with the Braves for $2.4 million in the supplemental first round. Atlanta acquired the 35th overall pick when it traded Drew Waters, Andrew Hoffmann and CJ Alexander to the Royals about a week before the 2022 draft.
  
  Scouting Report: Ritchie is nearly physically maxed out at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, but he requires less projection than most prep pitching prospects thanks to an advanced three-pitch mix and solid command. Ritchie sits in the low 90s with his fastball but touched 97-98 mph during the spring and got into the mid 90s during his pro debut, which culminated in three starts for Low-A Augusta. His fastball has just modest life and carry, though he has shown an ability to locate the pitch to both sides of the plate and change eye levels. Ritchie's secondaries are a low-to-mid 80s slider and a changeup in the same velocity band. Both are at least solid-average pitches that--like his fastball--he's shown impressive feel for. His slider has flashed above-average or plus potential in the past, though the shape of the pitch has come and gone depending on the start. Ritchie's slider generated a ton of whiffs in his brief pro debut and will likely be his most reliable out pitch moving forward.
  
  The Future: The Braves rave about Ritchie's advanced pitchability and mentality. He could start the 2023 season in either Low-A or High-A and it wouldn't be surprising to see him push to Double-A quickly in his age-20 season. Ritchie has back-of-the-rotation upside and a clear path as a starter.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 55
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  August Update: Ritchie has been one of the top arms in the Northwest for years, as a polished righthander with a solid three-pitch mix. He’s a smaller pitcher, but has added an inch of height and some more weight since last summer and is now listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. Ritchie has shown the stuff and performance throughout his career to fit as a top-two round talent in the draft. This spring, Ritchie was named the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight season, after he posted a 0.30 ERA over 39.1 innings with 84 strikeouts and just four walks. Ritchie typically pitches in the low 90s, but this spring he has shown impressive top-end velocity and reached 97-98 mph at peak earlier in his starts. He’s shown an above-average slider in the past, but the pitch was more inconsistent this spring and looked like more of a solid-average offering in the low 80s. His changeup is thrown with similar velocity in the low 80s and he shows good feel to land the pitch, with solid arm speed. He has the control to profile as a starter and scouts have been impressed with his feel for all his pitches and general ability to move the ball around the zone. While there’s not much in the way of future physical projection with Ritchie, he has a polished trio of pitches and refined control to get the most out of them. Ritchie signed with the Braves for $2,397,500 after being selected with the 35th overall pick.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.