A personal shortlist of Red Sox prospect failures
By Rick McNair
Top of the rotation - Anthony Ranaudo
The Cape Cod Baseball League is a great place to see future stars, and I have already listed a few players I saw perform in that high-level wooded bat league. Now for another one and another first-round pick.
Anthony Ranaudo went with a 0.00 ERA in CCBLin 29.2 innings in 2010, which carried over when he entered the Boston system. The 6'7" righty climbed through the system, and the next I saw of Ranaudo was with Pawtucket in 2014. On his way to the PawSox, Ranaudo was regularly selected to All-Star teams, and the record showed he might be an impact starter at the MLB level.
Ranaudo had a history of elbow issues late in college that impacted his position in the draft since many considered him a possible top-ten selection.
Ranaudo was not overpowering but had a four-pitch toolbox, but at the MLB level, the flaws became apparent. In the minors, swing-and-miss, stuff became whack-a-mole in the majors. In 86 MLB innings, Ranaudo posted an identical 4.6 BB/9 and 4.6 K/9. The small sample also showed a 2.3 HR/9.
Ranaudo moved on to Texas, White Sox, and Korea with the same poor results and was done. I watched him toss a 14-4 season at Pawtucket and dominate the International League. A lock? Afraid no