Ryan Ritter

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Note: This page is for 2020s infielder Ryan Ritter; for others with the same name, click here.

RitterRyan-2023-07-04.jpg

Ryan Michael Ritter

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Biographical Information[edit]

Middle infielder Ryan Ritter was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 33rd round of the 2019 Amateur Draft. He chose not to sign and instead attended John A. Logan College, where he hit .342/.429/.481 as a freshman in 2020. After the collegiate season had concluded, he played 29 games in the Northwoods League for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, hitting .259/.385/.318. He transferred to the University of Kentucky for his sophomore season, and hit .275/.323/.365 against stiffer competition than he had been facing in the junior college ranks. However, he did pretty well in his second summer of summer collegiate ball, hitting .330/.431/.429 in 31 games for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League. He returned to Kentucky for his junior season in 2022, and hit .283/.369/.469 with 14 doubles and 8 home runs - much greater power output than his sophomore year. He returned to the Kettleers that summer, but his batting average and on base percentage both fell, however his slugging average rose (.262/.368/.492). In the 2022 Amateur Draft, he was taken by the Colorado Rockies organization in the fourth round.

The defensive standout got his professional career underway with eight games in the Arizona Complex League. He put up an impressive .320/.414/.680 slash line, and 6 of his 8 hits went for extra bases. Still, it was an eight-game stint in a complex league. However, his offensive remained strong into 2023, even having been moved up to low-A ball. He hit .303/.401/.602 against California League playing for the Fresno Grizzlies, including 15 doubles, 18 home runs, and 58 RBI. On the downside, his strikeout rate was somewhat on the high side - 73 K's in 251 at-bats. Three times he was the Cal League Player of the Week (for the weeks ending April 23, May 21, and July 2) and was the Player of the Month in June. He was called up to the advanced-A Spokane Indians a day after receiving his third Player of the Month honor on July 3rd (an off-day in the Northwest League) and started as the Indians' shortstop and leadoff hitter on July 4th at Avista Stadium. The game wound up being an 11-9 victory over the Everett AquaSox - which was almost given away by the Spokane bullpen - where every Indians hitter except Ronaiker Palma got a hit (Palma did walk twice and scored). Ritter went 1-for-5 with a run and a strikeout. In 46 games in the Lilac City, he hit .265/.367/.411 with 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 26 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and 22 bases on balls (but also with 69 strikeouts in 170 at-bats). He was promoted again on September 6th to AA ball and the Hartford Yard Goats. He appeared in eight games, hitting .160/.276/.200; he struck out 11 times in 25 at-bats and had only 1 extra-base hit (a double). After the season, he was named the California League Player of the Year for his brilliant half-season with Fresno.

In 2024, he played 91 games for Hartford, hitting .270/.370/.403 with 7 homers and 32 RBIs. The drop in home runs was an issue, but he did score 57 runs and was successful on all 17 of his stolen base attempts, while cutting down on his strikeouts considerably, to 88 in 373 plate appearances. After the season, he played 14 games in the Arizona Fall League, but hit only .150 there. The batting average only told a small part of the story, however, as his OBP was an excellent .477, thanks to 18 walks, and 4 of his 6 hits went for extra bases. He started the 2025 season in AAA with the Albuquerque Isotopes, for whom he hit .305 in 52 games with 13 homers. He was called up to make his big league debut on June 6th, starting at shortstop and going 1 for 4 in an 4-2 loss to the New York Mets.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Related Sites[edit]

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