Braves Prospect Reflects on Path to Upcoming Futures Game

When the Columbus Clingstones were on the road in Birmingham, Ala., right-hander JR Ritchie received a call from team management. There was a panic. He thought he had been traded.

He likes being part of the Braves organization and didn't like the thought of leaving. However, the word he received would calm his nerves quickly.

“I was really scared,” Ritchie said. “But it ended up being a great phone call.” 

Let alone was he sticking with the organization that drafted him, he was going to represent them in the All-Star Futures Game alongside his friend and fellow Braves prospect, left-hander Hayden Harris.

The two pitchers get the honor in a unique year. They're representing the Braves on home turf, with Atlanta hosting the All-Star Game for the first time since 2000. Ritchie reportedly will get the ball to start the game.

“It’s an honor,” Ritchie said. “Being able to represent Atlanta in Atlanta. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and to be able to be around so many great players, great people, and honestly, just Braves legends in general. Just be able to spend such a cool weekend around them and get to learn a lot.”

One Braves legend he’s looking forward to seeing is Fred McGriff, who called Ritchie’s name on draft night. The two saw each other a couple of times in Spring Training, and the weekend provides another chance to learn from him. McGriff is serving as the hitting coach for the American League during the Futures Game.  

He also looks forward to meeting Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson, who will also be coaching the National League in the Futures Game.  

His recent track left little surprise as to why he got the nod. Over the last 12 months, he’s moved up from Single-A Augusta to Double-A Columbus - two promotions in that span. 

It’s a pace to be proud of, but getting to this point didn’t come easily. The 22-year-old had to miss parts of two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023. He wouldn’t see live action again until June 2024. 

His injury came in the early games of his professional career. After nine professional starts on the mound, he went under the knife.

It's an injury that can impact a pitcher mentally, just as intensely as it does physically. During his recovery, he had to build confidence in his body and confidence that the procedure did its job.

“That’s a big mental block for a lot of guys to get over,” Ritchie said. “You can try to baby it and feel like, oh, I don’t want to hurt myself again. Just try to trust it and say, I got a new elbow; it’s good to go.” 

Ritchie gave “props” to the Braves' medical staff for helping him get to that point. He also had friends, family and coaches reaching out to him during the rehab process. His biggest supporter during his recovery? His girlfriend, Makena. 

“She sacrificed a lot of time and a lot of her own school,” he said. “Missing classes to come be with me and make sure that I was in a right headspace.” 

Sure enough, the support and work put in during his recovery paid off. In 12 appearances, 11 starts, following his return to the mound, Ritchie had a 2.90 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and 56 strikeouts over 49 2/3 innings pitched. His 1.95 ERA in seven games with Single-A Augusta earned him a promotion to High-A Rome before the 2024 season’s conclusion. 

He picked up where he left off in 2025. In seven starts with High-A Rome, he had a 1.30 ERA, capping off his stint with a complete game shutout on May 10. He was promoted to Columbus three days later.

Many pitchers need that adjustment period to get back to form after a year away from live action, but Ritchie got right back to it.

He worked on his command and limiting walks, while also balancing adding pitches to his arsenal. Ritchie now has a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a cutter, a curveball, a changeup, a sweeper and a slider. 

“Oh, gosh, what didn’t I add?” he jokingly said when asked about his repertoire. 

The new options help keep hitters on their toes. Just when a batter might think he’s starting to figure him out, he has a response. 

“It’s nice when you’re going through the third, fourth time in the order and a guy hasn’t seen a certain pitch,” he said. “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.”

This will help create the building blocks for the next step in his development. It’ll allow him to get more creative as he takes on stiffer competition. 

Once you reach Double-A, hitters are more patient. In lower levels, you can get away with more pitches out of the zone since hitters are more prone to reaching while using the same couple of pitch types over and over again.

He’s had to learn to be more strategic with pitch location when to use certain pitches, which will help him get ahead in counts quicker. 

“Being able to be in the zone consistently before two strikes, really force their hand and trying to get them to hit has been a big process for me,” he said.

This next step should help bring his pitch count down and, in turn, get deeper into games again. 

Slowly, the efforts are showing up on the stats sheets. He has pitched into the sixth inning twice after some short outings of four innings or fewer to begin his Double-A stint. His most recent start July 5, saw him pitch his first scoreless start for Columbus while also setting a new high for strikeouts at the Double-A level (eight). In eight Double-A starts, he had a 3.49 ERA.

He heads into the All-Star Break with a golden opportunity to get new perspectives on what else could take him to the next level. A single tip from a Braves legend could be another game-changer, and what he learns could be on display for the first time when he takes the mound in Atlanta.  

The MLB Futures Game will take place at Truist Park on Saturday at 4 p.m. The seven-inning game will air live on MLB Network and will be simulcast on MLB streaming platforms.

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