The Red Sox knew what they were hoping for when they selected Anthony Ranaudo in the first compensation round of the MLB Draft, but they weren’t exactly sure what they’d actually get.
Early MLB Draft prognosticators forecasted that Ranaudo was going to be a top-10 draft pick in this past month’s draft. But arm injuries and inconsistency saw the LSU product slide down the draft board.
Despite that, many saw him as the best arm available in the draft when the Red Sox scooped him up in the compensation round with the 39th overall selection.
In his first two starts with the Brewster White Caps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, Ranaudo may be backing up those claims.
After two starts on the Cape, Ranaudo has been practically unhittable. He’s gone 10 2/3 innings, not allowing any earned runs, while only surrendering two hits. Perhaps most importantly, in addition to striking out 11, Ranaudo has temporarily answered any questions about his control by only giving up two walks.
AOL-Fanhouse’s Frankie Piliere was on hand for Ranaudo’s second start — a 6 2/3 inning gem in which Ranaudo allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out eight.
“He gets an outstanding downhill plane from his 6-foot-7 frame and the hop on his fastball down in the zone was quite impressive,” wrote Piliere, noting that Ranuado was working in the 91-94 mph range with his fastball. “The velocity came easliy and the ball was coming out of his hand nicely.”
While this success is a welcomed sign to the Red Sox front office it will also come at a cost — literally. With every impressive outing Ranaudo has, his price tag climbs higher and higher. It’s not inconceivable that he will be soon commanding top-10 pick money despite his draft position.
After all, Ranaudo does have the leverage in the negotiation process. He still has another year of eligibility left at LSU. Not only that, he still has more than a month left to continue pitching well on the Cape before the Aug. 16 deadline for teams to sign there draft picks comes and goes.
This whole situation of course speaks to the luxury a team like the Red Sox has in this process. They knew when they selected Ranaudo what kind of pitcher they could be drafting. As a big-market team, they know that if they feel it’s worthwhile they’ll be able to pony up the type of early first-round money Ranaudo will want.
The Red Sox have a decision to make. While they still have time, the clock will start to tick faster and faster as their deadline approaches — especially if Ranaudo keeps it up. But, if Randaudo keeps it up, and the Red Sox can sign him, they will have arguably the steal of the draft regardless of the price.
