Braves prospect JR Ritchie was partaking in his recovery work a few days before the All-Star Futures Game when he received a phone call from an unknown number. The call left an Atlanta area code scrolling across his screen, so the 22-year-old prospect figured he should probably answer it.
And on the other side of the line was none other than Chipper Jones, a Braves legend and manager of Ritchie’s National League team. The eight-time All-Star called Ritchie to let him know he would be starting the Futures Game in his club’s home ballpark.
“I had to run outside real quick and take the call,” Ritchie said. “It was unbelievable. I never thought Chipper Jones would be calling me anytime soon.”
The Braves’ No. 6 prospect joined Hayden Harris, the 29th-ranked prospect, on the club’s home field Saturday afternoon. Their National League team defeated former Brave Marquis Grissom’s American League squad, 4-2, in seven innings.
And while the Braves were in St. Louis, Missouri employing another bullpen game — something manager Brian Snitker said they couldn’t survive doing just one week ago — the young hurlers provided a glimpse at how they could help the club in the near future.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Neither allowed a hit through 1.1 innings of combined work.
“This is as close to a debut as you can get,” Ritchie said. “It’s an unbelievable experience to be able to be around so many Braves greats and Hall of Famers, guys who’ve done it for a really long time.”
Ritchie issued a leadoff walk to begin the game but retired the next three batters with two strikeouts, while Harris, a left-hander, struck out a lefty on five pitches in relief. Ritchie, primarily a starter throughout the minor leagues, used a five-pitch mix — including a fastball topping out at 96.8 mph — in his one inning of work, while his teammate relied on well-located heaters.
“I threw a ton of fastballs,” Harris said. “But I did, I shook to a splitter lefty-lefty, never thrown that before in my life, but I wanted to do something cool. Didn’t happen and then execute with two strikes, and (throwing fastballs is) just how it played out.”
Harris, who the Braves signed as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern in 2022, passed every test the organization threw at him this season. He has a 0.84 ERA in 27 minor league appearances between Double-A and Triple-A and struck out 48 batters in those outings with 14 walks in 32.1 innings.
And if there is still such a thing as an “eye test” in baseball, the 26-year-old certainly passes it. He exudes confidence when stepping onto the mound — almost like he knows where his pitches are going to land, and there is nothing the batter can do about it — and then pounds the strike zone.
Harris is not solely a matchup pitcher either. Yes, Jones used him to retire a left-hander in the Futures Game, but he also has no issues facing righties, a group who is only batting .129 against him.
Harris’ versatility would provide a boost to a Braves’ bullpen tasked with covering innings after injuries to three members of its starting rotation. But Harris is not stressing over when he receives a call-up; instead, he is worried about what he can control, which is continuing to execute when called upon.
“(JR) got his job done in the first inning, and I came in and got the one guy that I needed to get,” Harris said. “If we do that, and you’re consistent doing that, you’re going to get an opportunity at some point. So good for him, good for me, and just keep moving.”
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Ritchie is behind Harris when it comes to moving up through the minor leagues, but the Braves have shown they are not scared to call players up directly from Double-A.
Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach has yet to throw a pitch in Triple-A, while outfielder Michael Harris II only appeared in Gwinnett for rehab starts. Even Didier Fuentes, who was optioned back down after a “rough go” — as described by Snitker — in MLB, only made one start for the Stripers.
And although the club might be cautious with Ritchie due to the result of Fuentes’ premature call up, the Futures Game participant is arguably a much better candidate because of his experience.
Ritchie is two years older than Fuentes and has pitched 28 more innings than the 20-year-old did at any level this season. He also possesses a 2.35 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 27 walks in 80.1 innings. (Fuentes had a 4.81 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 12 walks in 39.1 frames.)
Similar to Harris, Ritchie is not oblivious to the current state of the Braves. But he, too, is only focused on the present.
“Just focused on the work I’ve got,” Ritchie said. “Each day, I’ve got to go in and attack my work the same no matter what. Obviously, it sucks to see a lot of injuries — a lot of guys I know getting hurt at the big league level, you never want to see that — but, I just try and go into work every day. Whether or not a call’s on the way, I’m just trying to get work done.”
And if the Futures Game is any indication, the calls for Ritchie and Harris will come sooner rather than later.
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