NORTH PORT, Fla. -- JR Ritchie likely would benefit from at least another month or two of development at the Triple-A level. But the strong impression he has made during his first two Grapefruit League appearances created reason to at least ask Braves manager Walt Weiss about the possibility of the young prospect beginning the upcoming season in Atlanta’s rotation.
“It's a process, right?” Weiss said. “I mean, sometimes guys are called up out of necessity, and sometimes they knock the door down and you’ve got to call them up. So, the circumstances can be different from one guy to the next. But ideally, when he's ready, it's like, ‘Man, we have to call this guy up.’ That's the ideal situation, right? As opposed to maybe forcing it out of necessity.”
Truth be told, Atlanta might be just one or two injuries away from needing Ritchie (Braves’ No. 2 prospect, No. 90 overall in MLB) in its rotation. But at the same time, the 22-year-old pitcher is doing his best to knock that door down and force his way to the Majors as soon as possible.
Ritchie has allowed one run and one hit while recording six strikeouts and issuing just one walk over four innings thus far. He surrendered a home run in Friday’s two-inning stint against the Red Sox. But he also showed the value of his six-pitch arsenal by getting Boston to whiff with five of the six swings against his changeup, which he refers to as a Vulcan split because of the V-shape formed as he grips the ball between his middle and ring fingers.
“I faced him in live [batting practice], and I didn’t see that pitch well either,” said Braves catcher and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin. “It’s definitely a good pitch. A good change is tough to hit, and he definitely has a good changeup.”
The strides Ritchie has made over the past year are significant. A Competitive Balance Round A pick (35th overall) in 2022, he made just four starts in ‘23 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He pitched with restrictions in '24, as he made just 12 appearances (49 2/3 innings).
So, Ritchie really hadn’t experienced a full season before last year. Yet, he began the year at High-A Rome and worked his way up to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a 3.02 ERA over 11 starts. He expanded his arsenal from a three-pitch mix to a six-pitch mix within this successful stretch.
Ritchie came to last year’s Spring Training with a four-seamer, slider and changeup. By the end of the season, he was also throwing a two-seamer, cutter and sweeper.
“I've always wanted to be a guy who throws a lot of pitches,” Ritchie said. “I take a lot of pride in being able to do that while throwing strikes and getting outs.”
Veterans Chris Sale and Sandy León have praised Ritchie’s dedication, discipline and advanced maturity since the start of camp. The praise for the young hurler grew on Friday when he touched 96.4 mph with his fastball, relied heavily on the great changeup that averaged 88.7 mph and got strikeouts with two of the three curveballs he threw.
“That was impressive,” Weiss said. “Multiple plus pitches. There’s some power there as well, and some pitchability. He looked really good. The changeup has a chance to be a really good pitch.”
As things currently stand, Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes will fill the first four spots of Atlanta’s rotation. Bryce Elder and Joey Wentz are both out of options, so they seem positioned to begin the season in the Majors, with one of them possibly serving as the swingman out of the bullpen.
With Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep (both dealing with right elbow inflammation) set to spend at least a couple of months on the injured list, the Braves’ next available proven starters would be Carlos Carrasco or Martín Pérez.
So despite the fact Ritchie has thrown just 217 1/3 innings in the Minors and experienced just one full, unrestricted season, he certainly could knock that door down and find himself in Atlanta soon.
“I try to go to work every day and handle what I control,” Ritchie said. “I try not to let the fact that I'm in Triple-A or I'm in big league camp or any of that affect what I do on a day-to-day basis. It's still the same game.”
Along with a big league changeup, he’s got the big league clichés down pat.