Braves Prospect Cracks MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 After Breakout Season

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00:00Braves prospect cracks MLB Pipeline's top 100 after breakout season.

00:05One of the brighter spots in what has otherwise been a season of frustration for the Atlanta Braves

00:10has been the meteoric rise of pitching prospect J.R. Ritchie.

00:14Just two years removed from Tommy John's surgery,

00:17the 21-year-old right-hander has not only bounced back, but surged forward,

00:21silencing doubts about his recovery and establishing himself as one of the Braves' most exciting young arms.

00:27Ritchie's 2025 campaign turned heads across the minors.

00:31Rising all the way to AAA Gwinnett, he posted a stellar 2.61 ERA across 25 starts,

00:38striking out 136 batters in 134.2 innings.

00:43He even represented the Braves at the Futures game,

00:46flashing the kind of electric stuff that scouts once projected when he was drafted.

00:51Despite Atlanta's rash of rotation injuries this season,

00:54the front office chose to keep him in the minors,

00:57a decision that signals their eyeing 2026 as his likely MLB debut.

01:03For much of the year, Ritchie's dominance went under the radar,

01:06as MLB Pipeline kept him off its top 100 prospects list.

01:10That snub didn't last.

01:12Following a wave of prospect graduations across the league,

01:15Ritchie finally broke through, landing at number 99 overall.

01:18It's a long-overdue nod for a pitcher who has steadily forced his way into the national spotlight.

01:24Atlanta's front office chief, Alex Anthopoulos,

01:27has often noted that he doesn't mind when the Braves' best prospects fly under the radar,

01:31citing Michael Harris II as a past example.

01:35But Ritchie's fastball slider change-up mix has been far too good to ignore,

01:39especially as he went through AAA lineups this summer.

01:41Once overlooked after elbow surgery, he's now being recognized as a future rotation anchor.

01:48Rankings are nice, but what really matters is what Ritchie means for the Braves' future.

01:53His emergence could help stabilize a rotation that's been riddled with injuries and inconsistency in recent years.

02:00And if his trajectory continues,

02:03Atlanta fans may not have to wait long to see him make his long-anticipated debut at Truist Park.

02:08J.R. Ritchie is no longer just a promising name in the minors.

02:13He's a top 100 prospect, a rising star, and potentially the next big thing in Atlanta's rotation.