Anthony Ranaudo

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #16 prospect in 2015
  Ranaudo reached the majors in September for the first time, with poor results. However he also threw a career-high 177 innings, as well as leading the Triple-A International League in wins, ERA and opponents-- average. He won his league's pitcher of the year award for a second consecutive season. Ranaudo's failed big league cameo resulted from reduced stuff--he sat mostly at a straight 92-94 mph with below-average secondary offerings. He retains the potential to be a steady back-end starter if the life on his fastball and curveball improve following a productive offseason. Ranaudo made mechanical adjustments in 2014, removing excess movement from the back swing of his delivery, which resulted in improved command. He also added a slider to pair with his at-times-plus curveball to allow him to change planes. Ranaudo's aptitude and self-awareness suggest a pitcher capable of making the adjustments to be a valuable big leaguer whether as a back-end starter or a middle reliever.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #11 prospect in 2014
  The year after leading Louisiana State to the 2009 College World Series championship, Ranaudo signed with the Red Sox for $2.55 million as a supplemental pick out of the 2010 draft. As a pro, he's mixed healthy seasons with unhealthy ones, struggling to post consistent results prior to 2013, when he started the Double-A Eastern League all-star game, appeared in the Futures Game and made two playoff starts for Triple-A Pawtucket. Ranaudo shows the ability to overpower opponents with a 91-95 mph fastball, which tops out at 97, and a solid curveball while mixing in an effective changeup with some sink. The curve flashes plus with power at up to 82 mph, but he struggles to locate it. Some evaluators said Ranaudo flashes the stuff of a potential No. 2 starter, while others note his inconsistent secondary stuff and peg his upside as that of a mid-rotation arm. The latter group cautions that he may not get the swings and misses on the high fastballs he favored at Double-A Portland. That certainly was the case in Triple-A, where his strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 6.2 per nine innings. With Boston's crowded big league rotation, Ranaudo will return to Pawtucket to start 2014, with a chance to position himself for a callup if he performs well in his first big league camp.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #14 prospect in 2013
  Ranaudo's pro career has been as much of a roller-coaster ride as his time at Louisiana State. He pitched just 12 innings as a college freshman because of elbow tendinitis, then rebounded in 2009 to win the College World Series clincher and establish himself as the top college prospect for the 2010 draft, only to come down with a stress reaction in his elbow and post a 7.32 ERA in 2010. The Red Sox still drafted him 39th overall in 2010, and when he threw 30 innings without an earned run in the Cape Cod League that summer, they rewarded him with a $2.55 million bonus. Ranaudo began his pro career with a strong stint in low Class A in 2011 but wasn't as impressive after a midseason promotion. He looked poised for a big 2012 when he popped 97 mph fastballs in spring training, only to come down with a strained groin that sidelined him until mid-May. He never got right during nine starts in Double-A, as his mechanics got out of whack before he was shut down in early July with shoulder inflammation. Some club officials thought his problems were as much mental as physical. Before Ranaudo got hurt, he was throwing 93-96 mph in short stints and showing a better curveball than he had previously as a pro. Both can be plus pitches, and he complements them with a solid changeup. When he's on, he repeats his delivery, uses his tall frame to leverage pitches down in the strike zone and works both sides of the plate. Ranaudo threw well in instructional league before heading to the Puerto Rican League, but he had to leave Puerto Rico after aggravating his groin injury. The Red Sox still can dream on him as a No. 2 or 3 starter, but it's hard to ignore the reality that he has dealt with injury problems in three of the previous five seasons.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #4 prospect in 2012
  Ranaudo had a roller-coaster 2010, beginning the year as the draft's top pitching prospect before coming down with a stress reaction in his elbow in his first start for Louisiana State. He recorded a 7.32 ERA that spring and slid to the 39th overall pick, then regained his luster by working 30 innings without an earned run in the Cape Cod League. After getting a $2.55 million bonus at the 2010 signing deadline, he made 26 starts and reached high Class A in his 2011 pro debut. Ranaudo gets swings and misses with a fastball that usually ranges from 91-96 mph, though his velocity faded a bit at the end of his first pro season. He uses his size to pitch down in the zone with his heater, which he can locate on both sides of the plate. Ranaudo also has the best curveball in the system and flashes a solid changeup, but he needs to improve the consistency of both pitches. Though he had elbow issues in two of this three seasons at LSU, he stayed healthy and worked 127 innings in 2011. After hitting the wall last July, Ranaudo recovered and posted a 2.35 ERA in his final five starts without his sharpest stuff. Ticketed for Double-A in 2012, he profiles as a steady No. 3 starter who could be big league-ready in 2013.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #2 prospect in 2011
  Ranaudo entered 2010 as the draft's top pitching prospect, but he came down with a stress reaction in his elbow after his first start, missed a month and battled his mechanics and command when he returned. He posted a 7.32 ERA for Louisiana State before returning to form in the Cape Cod League, where he didn't allow an earned run in 30 innings. He signed for $2.55 million at the Aug. 16 deadline. Ranaudo uses his 6-foot-7 frame to leverage his 91-96 mph fastball down in the zone, generating strikeouts and weak contact. He also can throw his heater to both sides of the plate, and he complements it with a plus curveball and solid changeup. When he's on top of his game, he commands all three pitches well. Ranaudo never lost velocity when he struggled at LSU, but his delivery fell out of sync and his pitches flattened out. Though the Red Sox aren't concerned about his health, he also had elbow tendinitis that limited him to 12 innings as a freshman. Assuming Ranaudo's elbow problems are behind him, Boston may have stolen a frontline starter with the 39th overall pick. He'll make his pro debut at high Class A Salem and could reach the majors by the end of 2012.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #6 prospect in 2014
  Ranaudo received three callups to the majors beginning in August, but he spent the bulk of the season at Pawtucket, where he led the IL in wins, ERA and opponent average. He became the first member of the Red Sox organization to earn top pitching honors in the IL since Charlie Zink in 2008. Ranaudo can overpower batters with a plus fastball in the low- to mid-90s that features significant downhill plane. He throws a power 12-6 curveball that frequently grades as plus. His changeup is improving, but he struggled to locate it at times. Some evaluators see Ranaudo as a No. 2-3 starter, while others view him as a back-of-the-rotation arm. A flyball pitcher, he struggled to keep the ball down in the big leagues and surrendered 10 home runs through six starts.
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  Ranked Eastern League #16 prospect in 2013
  Injury-prone in college and in 2012 as a pro, Ranaudo finally showed what he can do in 2013. The towering righty was the Sea Dogs? best starter before earning a midsummer promotion to Pawtucket. Ranaudo gets his outs primarily on the strength of a 93-97 mph heater with plenty of life in the zone. He mixes in an inconsistent curveball that flashes plus and a changeup that is average now with a chance to be plus in the future. One EL manager noted that when Ranaudo?s command falters, it?s because he?s failing to find consistency with his release point. Ranaudo has a higher ceiling than some pitchers on this list but he?ll have to prove that injuries are a thing of the past. More consistent location of his fastball would help him reach that ceiling as well.
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  Ranked Carolina League #14 prospect in 2011
  Ranaudo made his pro debut in low Class A to start the season, displaying a 91-96 mph fastball to go with a sharp curveball and a solid changeup. But his inconsistent stuff and approach once he got to Salem left CL scouts wondering if this was really the same guy who commanded a $2.55 million bonus as a supplemental first-round pick a year earlier. He did show flashes where he ran his fastball up to 96 mph and spun a hammer curveball, but more often Ranaudo looked like an average pitching prospect. He worked mostly with a 90-92 mph fastball, an inconsistent curve and a below-average changeup. His command also didn't live up to expectations. The good news was that Ranaudo made it through a fully healthy season, working 127 innings over 26 starts. Elbow issues hampered him as a freshman and junior at Louisiana State.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #67 prospect in 2011

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Ranaudo had a roller-coaster 2010, beginning the year as the draft's top pitching prospect before coming down with a stress reaction in his elbow in his first start for Louisiana State. He recorded a 7.32 ERA that spring and slid to the 39th overall pick, then regained his luster by working 30 innings without an earned run in the Cape Cod League. After getting a $2.55 million bonus at the 2010 signing deadline, he made 26 starts and reached high Class A in his 2011 pro debut. Scouting Report: Ranaudo gets swings and misses with a fastball that usually ranges from 91-96 mph, though his velocity faded a bit at the end of his first pro season. He uses his size to pitch down in the zone with his heater, which he can locate on both sides of the plate. Ranaudo also has the best curveball in the system and flashes a solid changeup, but he needs to improve the consistency of both pitches. Though he had elbow issues in two of this three seasons at LSU, he stayed healthy and worked 127 innings in 2011. The Future: After hitting the wall last July, Ranaudo recovered and posted a 2.35 ERA in his final five starts without his sharpest stuff. Ticketed for Double-A in 2012, he profiles as a steady No. 3 starter who could be big league-ready in 2013.