A 33rd-round pick by the Cubs out of an Illinois high school in 2019, Ritter attracted more scouting attention the following year at John A. Logan (Ill.) CC but went unpicked in the shortened five-round Draft. He transferred to Kentucky and became one of the top defensive shortstops in the Southeastern Conference last spring. His glove alone might land him in the top three rounds in 2022, though persistent questions about his bat could knock him down a bit.
Capable of playing anywhere on the diamond, Ritter is a smooth defender with nice actions at shortstop. His quickness gives him plenty of range and he has soft hands and a good internal clock. He features plus arm strength and makes consistently accurate throws from a variety of angles.
The question is how much Ritter will hit because he has down little damage with the Wildcats and initially struggled with wood bats in the Cape Cod League. Scouts don't love his right-handed swing and he doesn't make consistent contact against non-fastballs, though he did make adjustments and rallied at the end of his stint on the Cape. Built along the lines of Marcus Semien, he has some strength that could produce at least 15-homer power if he figures things out at the plate, and he's also a solid runner out of the batter's box and plus underway.
Over two years at Kentucky after transferring from John A. Logan Community College, Ritter built a reputation as a glove-first shortstop who didn’t impact the ball consistently at the plate. His work in the SEC was enough for the Rockies to take him in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft. Hitting instructors in the organization felt they might have gotten more than they bargained for when he took BP for the first time, and he backed that up by posting a 20-20 season to win California League MVP honors in his first full year. His 2024 season was a little more modest as he jumped to Double-A, but still productive, though he missed a chunk of the season after fouling a ball off of his ankle.
Rockies coaches have worked to impart to Ritter that he needs to use the athleticism he shows on the dirt defensively when he’s in the box and focus on his plan at the plate one pitch at a time. He does get over-aggressive at times and chases too much, leading to inflated strikeout rates, finding more success when he can remember to use the big part of the field. When he can tame his free-swinging tendencies, he has the chance to find the barrel more consistently and tap into his raw power without sacrificing his hit tool to do so.
No one questions that Ritter can play shortstop at a very high level right now, with his quickness an asset and a plus arm from all angles. He started getting reps at second base during his Arizona Fall League stint to add to his versatility and could get his first big league action as a utility type, with enough upside to one day settle in as a defensive-oriented regular.
After two years at Kentucky following his transfer from John A. Logan CC, Ritter had garnered a reputation as an outstanding defensive shortstop who had questions surrounding his hit tool. That's who the Rockies thought they were getting when he joined the organization as a fourth-round pick in 2022. Much to their surprise -- at least in his first year-plus in the system -- he's proven to be more of an offensive force than expected, earning California League MVP honors and two promotions en route to a 20-20 campaign in his first full 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.
A solid prospect who was a late-round Draft pick out of the Illinois high school ranks, Ritter raised his profile at John A. Logan (Ill.) CC in 2020, but transferred to Kentucky after not being selected in the pandemic-shortened Draft. He spent two years with the Wildcats as one of the top defensive shortstops in the Southeastern Conference, but questions about his bat limited his stock a bit and he landed in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft with the Rockies. After a very brief pro debut that summer, Ritter's offensive game took a nice step forward, enabling him to earn a promotion from Single-A Fresno up to High-A Spokane in July of his first full season.
While Ritter has always had plenty of strength, he struggled to use it to impact the ball much during his college days, struggling especially against softer stuff. He's worked on his overall approach since joining the Rockies organization with a big emphasis on catching the ball out front more consistently, which helped the right-handed hitter go deep 18 times in 65 games with Fresno before his promotion. A solid runner, especially underway, he's capable of stealing a base now and again.
How much Ritter hits will determine his ultimate role because there's no question that his glove will play in the big leagues. He's a very smooth defender with excellent actions and range, soft hands and a good internal clock to go along with a plus arm. He's also shown he can play positions other than short, with a future utility role the most likely outcome unless his bat continues to progress as he advances.
A 33rd-round pick by the Cubs out of an Illinois high school in 2019, Ritter attracted more scouting attention the following year at John A. Logan (Ill.) CC but went unpicked in the shortened five-round Draft. He transferred to Kentucky and became one of the top defensive shortstops in the Southeastern Conference last spring. His glove alone may have been the reason the Rockies took him in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft and gave him $530,000 to sign, though there are questions about his bat.
Capable of playing anywhere on the diamond, Ritter is a smooth defender with nice actions at shortstop. His quickness gives him plenty of range, and he has soft hands and a good internal clock. He features plus arm strength and makes consistently accurate throws from a variety of angles.
The question is how much Ritter will hit, because he has done little damage with the Wildcats and initially struggled with wood bats in the Cape Cod League. Scouts don't love his right-handed swing, and he doesn't make consistent contact against non-fastballs, though he did make adjustments and rallied at the end of his stint on the Cape. Built along the lines of Marcus Semien, he has some strength that could produce at least 15-homer power if he figures things out at the plate, and he's also a solid runner out of the batter's box.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
