Beat rolls on for Braves No. 2 prospect Ritchie (0.99 ERA) at Triple-A
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JR Ritchie continues to make his case for a callup to the big leagues.
The Braves' No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline tossed yet another scoreless gem on Saturday, going six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out eight for Triple-A Gwinnett in its 2-1, 11-inning win against Memphis at AutoZone Park.
It was the righty's third scoreless start in his past four outings, lowering his season ERA to 0.99. He's 3-1 in five starts, with a 1.02 WHIP.
Ritchie, drafted 35th overall by Atlanta in the 2022 MLB Draft, ascended quickly last season after pitching nearly 50 innings in the lower levels of the Minors in '24 following a return from Tommy John surgery. In 11 appearances for Gwinnett last season (all starts), MLB's No. 81 prospect went 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings.
Ritchie has a fastball that has reached 97 mph, along with a strong low-80s slider and solid changeup. He's also added a curve and cutter, though scouts don't consider any of his pitches to be individually plus. But he mixes them well and gets lots of outs, as evidence by his ongoing success in Triple-A.
If these results continue, we could see Ritchie on the mound in Atlanta sooner than later.