Todd Everett Ritchie is a former Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 who played in the major leagues from -.

Ritchie was drafted by the Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft

1990 Major League Baseball Draft

-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1990 Major League Baseball draft.-Background:The draft went a record 101 rounds, surpassing 1989's total of 88, and included a record 1,487 selections. The Astros led all clubs with 100 selections. Seattle was second with 75,...

 and made his major league debut on April 3, 1997. He pitched in 57 games for the Twins in 1997 and .

On October 3, , the Twins released him, and he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 on December 22. Ritchie was used as a starting pitcher

Starting pitcher

In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....

 by the Pirates and in , he won

Win (baseball)

In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...

 a career-high 15 games. He was their Opening Day starter in , but after the season, on December 13, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

 along with Lee Evans for Kip Wells

Kip Wells

Robert "Kip" Wells is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.-High school career:...

, Sean Lowe

Sean Lowe

Jonathan Sean Lowe is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during seven seasons at the major league level for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Kansas City Royals. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 1st round of the 1992...

, and Josh Fogg

Josh Fogg

Joshua Smith Fogg is an American professional baseball player who has been a pitcher for nine Major League Baseball seasons. Fogg played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft...

.

Ritchie struggled in though, losing 15 games with a 6.06 ERA

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

, and becoming a free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

 after the season. On January 14, , he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

, but missed nearly the entire season with an injury. Ritchie signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

 for 2004, but spent most of the season in the minors. He signed with the Pirates for the season, but retired from baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 during spring training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

. He came out of retirement in , signing a contract with the Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

. Assigned to Single-A Modesto

Modesto Nuts

The Modesto Nuts are a minor league baseball team in Modesto, California, USA. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the California League and a farm team of the Colorado Rockies. The Modesto Nuts play home games at John Thurman Field. Opened in 1955 and renovated in 1997, the park seats 4,000 fans...

, Ritchie had a 3.18 ERA in 4 appearances before being promoted to Double-A Tulsa

Tulsa Drillers

The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies major-league club.-Stadium:...

 on June 25. In his one appearance for Tulsa, he gave up 8 earned run

Earned run

In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...

s in 5.2 innings and retired again.

Todd and his wife, Marian have six children named Karley (15), Kyndall (10), Kamdyn (8), Kallyn (6), Kannon (3) and Krayton (3).

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