Bill Shanks
 |  Special to the Savannah Morning News

Two Sundays ago, Atlanta Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie had flown home to Seattle for a few days rest. The right-hander deserved it, after a stellar first half at two levels in the minor leagues and then starting the Futures Game at Truist Park, potentially his future office.

Then, when he got off the plane, he got a call from the Braves. Ritchie would start the second part of the season in Triple-A, with the Gwinnett Stripers.

“I had to change my travel schedule a little bit,” Ritchie said with a smile last Saturday, after he had allowed one run in six innings in his Stripers’ debut. “I was going to take a few days off, but instead I stayed on my routine.”

Not a bad weekend for a 22-year-old with a very bright future: showing all of baseball your potential and then going one more step up the minor league ladder.

Ritchie is at the top of the Braves prospect list for a reason. He’s good, really good. In fact, when you try to find starting pitching prospects with a career sub-3.00 earned run average, well, the list will not be very long. Ritchie’s is at 2.81.

That’s part of why the Braves picked Ritchie to start the Futures Game, along with his 2.50 combined ERA this season. He chatted with former Braves Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson, Peter Moylan and Nick Markakis, so it was quite a thrill for him to not only start the game, but to do it in Atlanta.

“That was unbelievable,” Ritchie said. “I had the time of my life being able to do that. Being able to pitch in Truist (Park) before a debut is more than you can ever ask for. I definitely had some jitters going out there, just knowing it was a home crowd. But I was able to settle in nicely and get a clean inning in.”

Ritchie’s had a lot of clean innings this season. He started back in Rome, in High-A, where he finished last season after returning from a year off due to Tommy John elbow surgery. His seven starts in Rome were not really a challenge, as he had a 1.30 ERA, with only six earned runs on 23 hits allowed in 41 2/3 innings.

Then, he was off to Double-A Columbus, where in eight starts he had a 3.49 ERA, a little higher because “Hitters hit mistakes a little bit better,” Ritchie admitted. “You can’t leave stuff middle. They don’t chase as much. My walk numbers went up a little bit there, but I felt like I got better each week and got used to the hitters and what they were looking for. The more I got ahead strike one and raced to two strikes, the better my outing was.”

Along the way, Ritchie has added three pitches to his repertoire. Under the tutelage of Rome pitching coach and former Atlanta starting pitcher Horacio Ramirez, Ritchie first added a two-seam fastball. Then a week later, the Braves let him throw a curveball. Finally, a week later, Ritchie was taught a sweeper, and his famous slider acted then more like a cutter.

The evolution of Ritchie’s stuff, to compliment his solid mid-90s fastball, slider, and changeup, is perhaps the final step to get him prepared for the big leagues. And, obviously, the results have been positive.

“Having three different fastballs allows me to work both sides of the plate without having to try and locate too much,” Ritchie said. “Having two breaking balls and a changeup, it feels really good at where I feel like I can throw to any side at any count. It just opens up a lot of possibilities.”

With all the pitching injuries in Atlanta, it’s reasonable to wonder if Ritchie could be close to one more promotion. His résumé is impressive. In Ritchie’s 37 minor league starts, he’s allowed more than three runs only four times, and he’s allowed only 113 hits in 163 2/3 innings with 180 strikeouts.

Perhaps the only hesitation the Braves could have is rushing Ritchie through his first full season in the minor leagues. After being drafted in the first round in the 2022 draft, Ritchie was hurt in 2023 and then came back midway through 2024. Ritchie believes he has a few more things to show the Braves before it becomes a no-brainer that he needs to be in Atlanta.

“I think just limiting free bags, getting ahead, throwing strikes and just pitching to the best of my ability and throwing my best stuff in my best counts,” Ritchie said. “I just try to approach my work the same each day, regardless as if I’m still in Rome or if I’m here. The work stays the same. Really just the hitters and the venues change. That’s the biggest thing for me is to stay on top of my routine and my recovery and make sure I’m feeling good every six days.”

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 pm ET on The SuperStation – 104.3 FM in Savannah and online at TheSuperStations.com. Email Bill at TheBillShanksShow@yahoo.com.