The Atlanta Braves have been blessed in recent years as they seemingly have someone in the conversation for Rookie of the Year every season. Ronald Acuña Jr. won it in 2018, Michael Harris II took home the crown in 2022, and Drake Baldwin is among the favorites to win it this year. That doesn't even account for strong debuts from Spencer Strider, Mike Soroka, and Austin Riley. If current trends hold, Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie could join that illustrious group.
Ritchie has been a pretty well-known commodity amongst those that follow Braves prospects since he was drafted 35th overall by the Braves in 2022 out of high school. Tommy John surgery in 2023 slowed his development down a bit, but Ritchie picked up right where he left off upon his return and has pitched his way to Triple-A this season down in the minors and excelled after he got there.
Assuming he can keep this up and he stays healthy (no sure thing given this Braves curse), Ritchie could force his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation in 2026.
JR Ritchie isn't a household name yet, but that could change next season
Featuring a well-rounded fastball/slider/changeup mix, Ritchie has been extremely impressive this season. In 20 starts this season, Ritchie sports a 2.58 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 108.1 innings of work. He has also been promoted twice this season and since joining Triple-A Gwinnett, Ritchie has been mostly unfazed with a 3.21 ERA in five starts at 22 years old.
With Braves beat writer Mark Bowman bluntly saying that Ritchie is on the radar for the 2026 rotation recently, it is clear that Atlanta likes what they are seeing out of him. Not only has been impressive during the regular season, but he was among the better performers in the 2025 Futures Game which got him some much deserved time in the spotlight.
As of now, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, and Spencer Schwellenbach are likely to be in the Braves' rotation on Opening Day next season assuming Schwellenbach heals up from his injury well. There is no guarantee that Reynaldo Lopez will be healthy and he could get switched back to the bullpen. AJ Smith-Shawver will certainly be out and the odds Grant Holmes will begin the season on the IL are very high even if Holmes thinks he will return in 2026 sometime.
For those doing the math at home, that means the Braves going to need some starting pitching help early in 2026. One can hope for the front office to go out and add a big arm in free agency, but Atlanta's cause would certainly be helped if Ritchie can seize the opportunity. If he gets the chance, don't be surprised if he is in the running for some familiar hardware by season's end.