Braves No. 2 Prospect Named a Key Talent to Watch for 2026

The Atlanta Braves could be set to see another prospect make a splash with the big league team next season. Last year, it was Drake Baldwin, but this year, it could be a standout on the mound.

MLB.com listed a prospect to watch for each team, and unsurprisingly, right-hander JR Ritchie was the pick for the Atlanta Braves. He put himself on the map last season in a similar fashion to Baldwin, who went on to win Rookie of the Year this past season.

The 2025 season was Ritchie's first full professional season despite being drafted back in 2022. He missed parts of two seasons recovering from a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery. He showed flashes before and after his procedure during those partials seasons. However, once he got the chance to be fully healthy, he catapulted himself onto the map.

Rising from High-A Rome to finish in Triple-A, Ritchie pitched to a 2.64 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP across 26 starts and amassed 140 innings pitched. During that time, he's also expanded his arsenal. He now possesses a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a cutter, a curveball, a changeup, a sweeper and a slider.

“It’s nice when you’re going through the third, fourth time in the order and a guy hasn’t seen a certain pitch,” Ritchie said back in July. “So, being able to drop that in 0-0 or 0-1, 1-0, and just give him a different look, that’s been a big help for me. It really helps being able to attack guys like that.”

Reaching 140 innings pitched is one of his more underrated stats. He had the chance to stretch out to a starter's workload. It wouldn't be too surprising if they got him up to 180 innings pitched overall next season.

If he does reach the major leagues, he'll have a chance to pitch a little deeper into Sepetember which should net him a couple extra starts. If he moves to a more traditional five-day schedule, that could also get him more starts. That being said, the have to be careful with his workload at that point.

Less rest time could impact how they approach him per game for a time. It would require further conditioning to get him up to speed.

Ritchie is the No. 2 prospect in the Braves system and the top right-hander. Toward the end of last season, he cracked the top 100 for the first time and is now No. 86 overall. He's one of two Braves prospects in the top 100. The team's top prospect, Cam Caminiti, is ranked 72nd overall.

It's a no-brainer that he is the team's prospect to watch. Many already have an eye on him after last season. It's a when, not an if, he gets called up to the Braves in 2026. Barring an insane performance in Spring Training, he'll likely start back in Gwinnett. However, his time will come, and in the grand scheme of things, it'll be soon.

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