Atlanta Brave’s top 2023 prospects: Right-handers Owen Murphy and JR Ritchie lead Atlanta’s farm

Major League Baseball’s offseason is in full swing, and that means everyone is thinking about the future. In most cities, that means next season; in some, however, it means the bigger picture, the next three to five years. Either you sell profits or you sell hope, as the old saying goes. Here at CBS Sports, we want to give as much hope as possible this winter time by evaluating each team’s farming system.

Of course, that doesn’t mean every team has an equally good farming system—some lack it, as you’ll discover throughout this process. It does mean, however, that CBS Sports will spend the next few weeks researching the top three prospects in each organization. We define “prospects” as retaining their rookie eligibility for the 2023 season. So if a young player is absent, that’s probably the reason.

These lists and ratings are created after interviewing scouts, analysts and player development types. There’s also first hand evaluation and prejudice thrown into the mix. Remember that player rating is a difficult task and it’s okay if you disagree with the leaderboards. These are opinions and have no real bearing on the future. You can see our winter top 20 list by clicking here.

With that in mind, let’s dissect the Atlanta Braves.

1. Owen Murphy, RHP (2023 season age: 19)

Murphy, the 20th pick in last summer’s draft, was a two-way player in high school who officially shelved his bat when he turned pro. He has easy delivery and a flat release point that benefits his mid-90s fastball when elevated. Murphy is above average in athletics and gets high marks for his competitiveness, with some scouts pointing out the similarities he shares with Jack Leiter and Jack Flaherty. (No word on Jack Morris, Jack McDowell, or Jack Billingham yet.) These two attributes will come in handy over the years as he seeks to refine his secondary pitches.

2. JR Ritchie, RHP (2023 season age: 20)

The Braves took three consecutive assist right-handers to start last year’s draft: Murphy was first, Ritchie was second. (The third not to appear on this particular list was Cole Phillips.) Ritchie has a carrying fastball that touches the mid-90s and a promising pair of secondary pitches. Reviewers have praised his interest and understanding of pitch design, and his physical and mental abilities should give him a chance to stay on as a starter.

The Braves have made a habit of finding contributors outside of the first round. They chose Michael Harris in the third; Spencer Strider in fourth; and Vaughn Grissom in 11. Smith-Shavver, a seventh in 2021, could one day add his name to the list. A physical right-hander with a loud fastball-breaking-ball combination, he’s made some mechanical improvements since draft day. He’s still been running more than five batters per nine innings in A-ball last season, but his benefits are worth waiting for.