When the Colorado Rockies selected University of Kentucky shortstop Ryan Ritter in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, the organization knew they were getting a quality player and an excellent defender. However, scouting reports and draft pundits marked him as a glove-first player with an inconsistent bat.
Scouting reports graded his hitting as the lowest rated tool in the box... despite being a career .280/.349/.423 in college. When the Rockies drafted him, he was coming off of a .283/.369/.469 campaign with the Wildcats where he hit 14 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs.
“I definitely don’t try to listen to outside noise,” Ritter said this spring.