Ritter becomes the eighth former Dock Spiders player to reach the Major Leagues; Fifth this season
Former Fond du Lac Dock Spiders infielder Ryan Ritter made his Major League debut for the Colorado Rockies on Friday, June 6 against the New York Mets at Coors Field in Denver. Ritter becomes the eighth former Fond du
Lac Dock Spiders player in the majors, joining Chicago White Sox infielder Tim Elko, San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson, Milwaukee Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott, Cardinals right-handed pitcher Ryan Loutos, and Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes as Major Leaguers with Fond du Lac ties. Ritter, Elko, Bergert, Simpson, and Durbin each made their Major League debuts since the 2025 season started.
Ritter, who played collegiately at the University of Kentucky, played for the Dock Spiders in 2020. The Evergreen Park, Illinois, native was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. In one season with the Dock Spiders, Ritter appeared in 29 games and hit .259 (22-for-85) with five doubles, 19 RBI, and a .703 OPS. Ritter was a member of the Fond du Lac team that claimed the Northwoods League Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Championship in 2020.
In 2022, Ritter started his professional career by appearing in eight games for the Arizona Complex League Rockies where he hit .320 with six extra-base hits, four RBI, and a 1.094 OPS. His 2023 season was split between Class-A Fresno of the California League, High-A Spokane of the Northwest League, and Double-A Hartford of the Eastern League. Between these three stops, he combined to hit .281 over 119 games with 24 home runs, 25 doubles, four triples, 85 RBI, and a .902 OPS. Ritter’s 2024 season was spent in Double-A Hartford where he hit .270 with seven home runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 32 RBI, and a .773 OPS.
Following the 2024 season, Ritter was one of six former Dock Spiders selected to participate in the 2024 Arizona Fall League and was one of 10 former Dock Spiders in Major League Camps during 2025 Spring Training.
In his Major League debut against the Mets, Ritter started at shortstop and batted sixth. He went 1-for-4 at the plate with a triple for his first Major League hit. Prior to his promotion to Colorado, he appeared in 52 games for Triple-A Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League in 2025. Ritter hit .305 (62-for-203) with 16 home runs, 13 doubles, 45 RBI, and a 1.049 OPS. Ritter was named the Pacific Coast League (PCL) Player of the Month for May after winning back-to-back PCL Player of the Week awards. He played in 24 games during the month, notching a .381/.445/.918 slash line with 10 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, and 31 RBI. During the month, he led all PCL players in total bases (89), RBI, slugging percentage, OPS (1.363), tied for first in hits (37), doubles, triples, home runs, second in runs scored (27), batting average, and fifth in on-base percentage.
Since the Dock Spiders first season in 2017, they have enjoyed an overall winning record of 287-268 for a .517 winning percentage. They won their first Northwoods League Championship in 2018 and also claimed the League’s WisconsinIllinois Pod Championship in 2020. A total of 43 former Dock Spiders players have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including five selections last season.
The Dock Spiders began their ninth season of Northwoods League play on Memorial Day 2025. Information about ticket packages and single-game tickets is available at dockspiders.com or by calling the ticket office at (920) 907-9833. Visit the Dock Spiders ballpark Box Office and Team Store during normal business hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit dockspiders.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Dock Spiders as your favorite team.