The shortstop was named California League MVP in 2024 despite not playing there after July 2
17. Ryan Ritter (374 points, 26 ballots)
Ritter has paired good defensive utility with better than expected offensive performance so far as a pro. The 6’2” 24-year-old shortstop was known as a college prospect for his defense, but the righty also hit a respectable .283/.369/.469 in the SEC. The Rockies drafted Ritter in 2022’s fourth round and signed him for a slightly over-slot $530k bonus.
Ritter was assigned in 2023 to Low-A Fresno (in deference to fellow PuRP Adael Amador in High-A). In 295 PA with Fresno, Ritter proved he had mastered the level with a .305/.405/.606 line that included 18 homers as part of his 35 extra-base hits (162 wRC+) in just 65 games. In fact, this stretch was so impressive that Ritter was named the MVP of the California League despite not playing the league after July 2nd. Amador’s late-June injury (and Ritter’s performance) paved the way for an early-July promotion to High-A Spokane.
In 201 PA across 46 games, all three triple slash categories cooled down a bit to a still respectable .265/.367/.441 batting line with six homers (121 wRC+) at a league average age. That was more than respectable for an up-the-middle player, so the Rockies promoted Ritter again in early September for a late-season cameo with Double-A Hartford (he was 4-for-25 with 11 strikeouts). It was a very successful season offensively for Ritter, but there were valid concerns about his ability to make contact against upper level pitching. While he struck out in about 24% of his Low-A plate appearances, that number rose to 34% in High-A and 38% in Double-A.
In 2024, Ritter was sent back to Hartford, where he was 0.6 years younger than league average, and he addressed some of those questions. He reduced his strikeouts to 23.6% of his 373 PA and his .270/.370/.403 line with seven HR among his 27 XBH and 17 steals in 17 attempts totals a 126 wRC+. His season was interrupted by a month-long IL stint, after which he was less dangerous at the plate. Ritter got a 65 plate appearance coda in the Arizona Fall League as well, producing a Three True Outcome-heavy .150/.477/.350 line with 18 BBs (28% of PA), 19 Ks (29%), and two HR (3%) accounting for over 60% of outcomes. That’s not including the seven (!!!) times he was hit by pitch (11% of PA). Ritter was hit by 16 pitches in Hartford as well, and the 23 combined HBP would have led all of MLB.
While some offensive questions with Ritter were answered, more scouting reports (see below) placed doubts on his ability to stick at shortstop. He was the primary shortstop for Hartford, committing 17 errors in 88 games, but actually played more second base (eight games) than shortstop (three games) in the AFL.
The video of Ritter below from the AFL is emblematic of his time there — lots of patience, some HBP, one ball in play, and a good defensive play at the end:
John Trupin of Baseball Prospectus listed Ritter as a “person of interest” in their recent system ranking:
Decent all-around athleticism and a high-motor play style helps Ritter outperform his measurables, as he’s been a highly efficient base stealer despite somewhat pedestrian sprint speed for a middle infielder. His physicality allows him to muscle up the baseball despite a compact swing that is primarily geared for line drives. His range falls short at times of what’s expected for a big-league shortstop, and despite smooth athleticism and a strong arm, he’s better served as a strong second or third baseman. He’ll likely play a bit of all three by the time he makes the bigs.
Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs is also a skeptic of Ritter’s shortstop defense, consigning Ritter to the 35+ FV section in his system ranking, 36th overall:
Ritter does some acrobatic stuff at shortstop but, even at age 24, he needs technical polish. He’s well-built and mobile enough to continue to develop at short, but a lot of what he does there takes a little too long, and scouts’ opinions of Ritter’s defense are all over the map. Ritter has good power for a middle infielder but looming issues against sliders, including ones that finish in the zone, have me stopping short of projecting him for enough offense to be a good team’s utilityman. Instead, he’s a bottom-of-the-40-man type whose athletic longevity and power should keep him in that area for a while.
Providing the more optimistic view is MLB.com, who classified Ritter as a 45 FV prospect with plus grades on his arm and fielding ability, and ranked him 12th in the system during the 2024 season:
Nothing has changed in terms of what people think Ritter can do defensively. He should be able to play shortstop for a long time with an excellent combination of athleticism and instincts. He has outstanding actions and field awareness with a plus arm that can make throws from anywhere.
At Kentucky, Ritter never got to a point where he was consistently impacting the baseball, even though there was raw power waiting to be unlocked. There were glimpses during his pro debut in the Arizona Complex League, but it was all to his pull side and the Rockies have worked with him to formulate more of an approach at the plate to drive the ball to the right-center-field gap, especially on fastballs, which in turn is helping him recognize spin more consistently. He’s incorporating the athleticism seen at shortstop into the batter’s box with positive outcomes. If he can continue his transition from swinger to hitter, he has the chance to be more than just a utility-type at the highest level.
Law ranked Ritter 20th in his pre-season 2024 system commentary:
[Ritter is] a very dependable shortstop who could stay there if the bat supported him becoming a regular, with some experience at second in the minors. He’s not likely to hit for average but has a little speed and a little pop plus the positional value of the middle infield, enough to be a utility infielder.
Ritter’s defensive floor, even if he’s not a full-time shortstop, is high enough that he doesn’t need to be an impact offensive player to be a useful big leaguer. Add in his plate discipline improvements in 2024 plus a strong overall offensive performance at an upper minors level and you get a 40 FV player who I ranked 24th in the system.
Ritter seems poised for an elevation to Triple-A this year, where he’ll split time with Amador, Julio Carreras, Owen Miller, and Aaron Schunk. I think a big-league role akin to the one Schunk had last year is not too far away as Ritter enters his 40-man roster evaluation season.