The 21-year-old top-10 prospect for the Braves is going through an adjustment period as he gets a handle on the next level of the minors
Atlanta Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie made his Double-A debut on Saturday, showing some growing pains during the Columbus Clingstones’ 5-0 loss to the Knoxville Smokies.
Ritchie pitched just over four innings, surrendering two earned runs on two hits while issuing five walks and striking out three. He threw 81 pitches in total, with 57% landing for strikes. He returned to the mound for the fifth inning but was removed after walking the leadoff batter.
The majority of his struggles came in the third inning, where he walked the first two batters and gave up an RBI single followed by a sacrifice fly. The fourth inning was his cleanest frame in terms of walks, though he still allowed a baserunner via a double.
It was Ritchie’s first outing at the Double-A level, a step up in competition. Similar challenges greeted him when he was initially promoted to High-A Rome. In that transition, he gave up four earned runs across 10 innings early on and surrendered two earned runs in less than five innings in two of his first three starts this season.
Despite the rough start, Ritchie eventually found his rhythm with the Rome Emperors, finishing with a 1.30 ERA over seven starts — capped off with a dominant complete-game one-hit shutout.
Ritchie was promoted to Double-A Columbus on Tuesday, along with fellow right-hander Austin Smith. The 21-year-old, ranked as the Braves’ No. 6 prospect, was the 35th overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. Though he’s in his fourth year of professional baseball, his development was delayed by Tommy John surgery, limiting his innings until last season — his first with more than five starts.
MLB.com projects Ritchie to make his major league debut in 2027.
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