Lincoln-Way East grad Ritter taken in fourth round of the MLB Draft

2019 Lincoln-Way East graduate Ryan Ritter was selected in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball entry draft by the Colorado Rockies on Monday.

Ritter was the 116th overall pick on the draft’s second day and the selection marked the second time Ritter had been chosen in the MLB Draft process. Ritter was a 33rd round choice of the Cubs in the 2019 draft following his graduation from Lincoln-Way East.

After earning All-Area honors in 2019, Ritter spent one season at John A. Logan Community College but was not selected in the shortened five-round draft in 2020. Ritter then moved to the University of Kentucky where he became a staple for the Wildcats.

Ritter hit .275 as a sophomore at Kentucky with three home runs, 20 RBIs and eight steals in the 2021 season, appearing in 52 games.

In the offseason prior to his junior year, Ritter played in the prestigious Cape Cod League, hitting .330, which was good for the fourth best average in the league.

He carried over his strong summer league effort into the spring season for Kentucky, as he stepped up his game in the spring. He completed his junior season with eight home runs and 36 RBIs, while adding in 15 stolen bases.

But the real plus element to Ritter’s game is his defense.

Ritter recently earned a 2022 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award, which honors the top defensive players in college baseball at each position. Ritter also was named the Southeastern Conference’s best defensive shortstop.

Ritter has a .972 career fielding percentage in 431 chances. He had a .978 fielding percentage with only five errors in 225 chances in the 2022 season.

Scouts see Ritter playing shortstop at the next level, but also feel that with his skill set he easily could adapt to almost any position on the field. That type of versatility could be invaluable to Ritter as he tries to make the climb to the major leagues.

As a junior eligible draftee, Ritter does reserve the right to re-enter the draft and return to Kentucky for his senior season. But the fourth-round selection likely will be good enough for him to forgo those thoughts. Ritter’s draft position is slotted for a $522,000 signing bonus, but that number could vary based on how the Rockies choose to allot their draft bonus pool.