Braves No. 6 Prospect Named Among 'Most Intriguing' In NL East

This Atlanta Braves top-10 prospect is starting to garner more attention during a recent quick rise through the minors

The Braves prospect is starting garner more attention | MEEGAN M. REID/KITSAP SUN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Atlanta Braves No. 6 prospect, JR Ritchie, continues to gain traction as he rises through the minor leagues. MLB.com's Joe Trezza named him among his five most intruiging prospects in the National League East. He did one for each team and Ritchie received the nod for the Braves.

Ritchie was credited with how well he stepped back into his starter role after missing over a year due to Tommy John surgery and how much he's excelling at a young age.

"It’s crazy that he was drafted three years ago," MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo said. "The Braves have never shied away from drafting high school pitching, and in 2022 they went all in, and all three picks have gotten hurt with elbow issues. JR Ritchie had Tommy John in May of 2023, came back last year, actually pitched fairly decently and has gotten off to a very good start this year. He’s up in Double-A and is still only 21, so despite the elbow surgery he’s still kind of ahead of the curve a little bit."

Ritchie has a 1.77 ERA this season in the minor leagues with a 3.14 ERA in his first three starts in Double-A. He had a shakey debut but has since settled in. It's not unrealistic with his pace in the previous levels of the minors that if he continues to roll, he could be in Gwinnett by the end of the season. Since returning from Tommy John, he's had seven appearances in Single-A and nine in High-A. Having just four to six more starts in Double-A sounds unlikely, but maybe 10 to 12 total starts is a good estimate.

Highlights on his prospect page include an above average slider and a consisent deliver that allowes him consistently throw strikes. The velocity on his fastball is averaging in the low 90s, but he's made due, and his velocity is expected to tick back up as gets stronger.