Looking for a young Up-and-Coming Dynasty pitcher? Well, I have a player in mind.
Say hello to JR Ritchie, the rookie pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. The right-hander has made two starts in the majors so far, but he entered the season ranked as a top 100 prospect and has looked more than ready to help fantasy owners this season.
Let’s take a look at Ritchie.
The Stats
| YEAR | LEVEL | G-GS | W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | H/9 | BB/9 | K/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | RK|A | 5-5 | 0-0 | 14.1 | 1.88 | 0.977 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 8.8 |
| 2023 | A | 4-4 | 0-1 | 13.1 | 6.08 | 1.050 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 16.9 |
| 2024 | RK|A|A+ | 12-11 | 2-5 | 49.2 | 3.81 | 1.128 | 7.1 | 3.1 | 10.1 |
| 2025 | A+|AA|AAA | 26-26 | 8-6 | 140.0 | 2.64 | 1.007 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 9.0 |
| 2026 | AAA | 5-5 | 3-1 | 27.1 | 0.99 | 1.024 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 9.2 |
| 2026 | Braves | 2-2 | 1-0 | 12.1 | 2.92 | 1.297 | 7.3 | 4.4 | 8.0 |
When the Braves hit the draft in 2022, they selected three high school pitchers with their first three picks. JR Ritchie was the second of that trio as he was taken with the 35th overall pick out of Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge Island, WA. Ritchie was outstanding in his pro debut in 2022, posting a 1.88 ERA and 0.977 WHIP in five starts at the Rookie and Class A level.
But his season was derailed in 2023 when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, limiting him to four starts that year and 11 starts and 12 games overall in 2024. But a fully healthy Ritchie was outstanding last season across three different levels of competition, posting a 2.64 ERA and 1.007 WHIP and starting in the Futures Games.
The Tools
- 4-Seam: 30% Usage, 94.4 mph
With only two MLB games under his belt, the data on JR Ritchie is not going to be fulsome. However, at this time, opposing hitters are not having a lot of success against Ritchie, currently hitting .200 with a .397 SLG against his fastball with four strikeouts. He sits at 94 mph with his four-seamer, but can reach the upper 90s when needed. The movement of the pitch is pretty much on par with the typical right-handed pitcher. It has two inches less rise but 1.8 inches more tail into right-handed hitters.
Ritchie attacks left-handed hitters with this pitch, throwing it 35% of the time vs. lefties compared to 15% vs. righties.
- Curve: 26% Usage, 82.6 mph
Ritchie offsets his fastball with a solid curve that breaks 3.3 inches more than the average right-hander’s curve and with one more inch of drop. Throwing equally against righties and lefties, hitters have a .125 batting average against the pitch with a .125 SLG, going 1-for-8 with four strikeouts and a 33% whiff percentage.
- Change: 16% Usage, 87.9 mph
The change is a pitch that is currently not working for Ritchie. In 12 at-bats, hitters have a .333 average and .833 SLG thanks to two home runs. The pitch doesn’t have a lot of tail, but it does feature four more inches of drop vs. other righties. The change is a pitch he has had success with in the minors, so this is likely an early blip on the radar.
This is also a pitch Ritchie uses a lot more vs. lefties (22%) than righties (2%).
- Sinker: 12% Usage, 93.8 mph
JR Ritchie throws his sinker nearly as hard as his four-seamer, which allows him to get 1.7 inches more drop on the pitch. Again, the results are early, but so far, hitters are 0-for-6 against the sinker. Right now, the sinker is used only against opposing right-handed hitters as he tries to get in on their hands. He has thrown the sinker 43% of the time against righties and 0% vs. lefties.
- Slider: 10% Usage, 85.2 mph
Scouts like Ritchie’s slider coming out of high school and through the minors, as he had a 55 grade on that pitch. But so far, it has been average in the majors as far as movement and depth.
The Results
Ritchie’s debut was outstanding as he allowed two earned runs (both solo homers) and five hits in seven innings of work against the Nationals. He struck out seven while only issuing two walks. His next start was not as good, but it was still solid against Detroit. In 5.1 innings of work, he allowed three runs (two earned) with four strikeouts but four walks as well.
Walks are something Ritchie has battled against at times down in the minors. His average BB/9 was 3.4 during his time in the minors, but he was issuing 4.3 BB/9 during his five starts at Gwinnett this year before being promoted. But the walks have not come back to haunt him too much down on the farm due to a career H/9 rate of 5.9. That hit rate has jumped to 7.3 so far with the Braves, but again, it is too soon to really know if that is a trend or not.
The Verdict
For those who are fully into dynasty baseball, JR Ritchie should not be a player who is an unknown. He entered the season ranked as the 84th best prospect by Baseball America, 90th by MLB and 88th by Baseball Prospectus. The time was right for the Braves to call on Ritchie to join the staff due to injuries and ineffectiveness in the starting rotation. While at Triple-A, he allowed only three runs in 27.1 innings of work with 28 strikeouts.
His first two starts show Ritchie can succeed against major league hitters. The question is how often he will start. Right now, Spencer Strider is scheduled to make his season debut on Sunday. Reynaldo Lopez has been moved to the pen, allowing Ritchie to make his second start. However, it is likely that Ritchie will move up and down between the Braves and Triple-A this season.
Ritchie is not likely to headline a starting staff as he has no one dominant pitch to dominate opposing hitters. Does that mean you should ignore Ritchie? Nope. He throws strikes and mixes his pitches enough to keep hitters off balance.
Grab him while you can. He is currently available in 65% of Yahoo leagues and in more than 80% of ESPN leagues.
