Braves No. 2 Prospect Earns Pitcher of the Week Honor

The Atlanta Braves prospect was rewarded for his career-best efforts in his start against Norfolk last week

A strong week earns the Braves' prospect some recognitition | Olivia Crew | Columbus Clingstones

A strong week from Atlanta Braves No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie earns him some recognition to finish off the month. He was named the International League Pitcher of the Week on Monday. 

It’s the first time he’s received the weekly award, and he’s the first Gwinnett pitcher to win it this season. Nathan Wiles won it for his efforts in the final week of May. 

Ritchie earned the award for a career-best outing on Aug. 27. He struck out a career high 11 batters over six scoreless innings, and he held the Norfolk Tide to just one hit. 

In seven starts so far with Triple-A Gwinnett, he’s 3-1 with a 3.62 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .174 BAA. During his award-winning week, he was tied for the lowest ERA in the International League (0.00), had the second-best BAA (.053), strikeouts (T-3rd, 11) and was tied for the fifth-best WHIP (0.50).

The right-hander also earned a shoutout from Baseball America during their prospect roundup after his performance last week. They called him a “bright spot” in a down year for the Braves. 

As he gets a better handle on Triple-A hitters, the publication foresees that he could find a spot in the Major League rotation "as soon as next season."

During the All-Star festivities, he was named a representative of the Braves alongside reliever Hayden Harris during the All-Star Futures Game. He got the honor to start the game, pitching a scoreless inning to get things going.

Atlanta Braves on SI received word that Ritchie received his promotion to Triple-A the day after his performance. The official announcement followed shortly after.

In 22 starts across three levels of the minor leagues, Ritchie has a 2.75 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP across 117 2/3 innings pitched. A highlight performance that earned him his call-up to Double-A Columbus was a complete-game shutout, where he one-hit Greenville and struck out nine batters.

It’s been a strong first full season in professional baseball. After two seasons were impacted by a recovery from a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, he’s finally able to show the baseball world the high-caliber pitcher he is developing into. 

Ritchie was taken during the competitive balance stage of the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft at 35th overall. His prospect profile projects he’ll reach the Majors in 2027. He’s certainly on track to get there a little sooner.