NEW?BRITAIN >> Although he was born in Bruce Springsteen?s hometown of Freehold, N.J., Anthony Ranaudo is only a casual fan of The Boss.
?I definitely like him and listen to his music, but I?m not a diehard,? he noted.
If you were to label Ranaudo?s 2013 season with a Springsteen song, ?The Rising? would be as good a choice as any.
The 6-foot-7, 230-pound righthander has bounced back from an injury-plagued 2012 campaign and emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox organization. Ranaudo is 8-2 with a 2.68 ERA for Double-A Portland and will start for the Eastern Division team in today?s Eastern League All-Star Game at 7:05 p.m. at New Britain Stadium.
?I?m looking forward to it,? Ranaudo said after an hour of signing autographs for hundreds of fans. ?There are a lot of great pitchers in this league, and a lot of guys having great years. To go get the ball to start the game (today) is a great honor. It should be a lot of fun.?
A few days later, he?ll head to New York City to compete in the Futures Game, the annual gathering of the game?s top prospects that?s part of Major League Baseball?s All-Star Game festivities at Citi Field on Sunday. The way Ranaudo has been progressing, it may not be his only trip to a major league ballpark before this summer is over.
?It?s an honor, I?m really excited about it,? he said. ?If people want to talk about my name moving up and stuff, that?s great. But I?m trying to focus on the fact that I?m healthy and confident again. I feel good about myself and my health and about the pitches that I?m throwing, going out each and every time and being able to compete.?
Ranaudo, a first-round draft pick by the Sox in 2010, made just nine starts between battling injuries last season with Portland. He strained his groin in spring training and didn?t make his first start until May 15. After going just 1-3 with a 6.69 ERA, he was shut down for the rest of the season on Juy 3 with shoulder fatigue.
This season, however, he?s healthy and back to commanding his fastball, which has been routinely sitting in the mid-90?s. Add more consistency to his curveball and great development of his changeup and Ranaudo?s been the Eastern League?s best pitcher through the first half of the season.
?I was really focused on being healthy and hoping that the success came,? he said. ?Obviously, I expected to do well. But what?s happened so far is just kind of a reward to what hard work I?ve put in, what the Red Sox have put in, and my physical therapist with the injuries that I had. I don?t want to say I didn?t expect it, but it?s just an honor and it?s pretty cool to see all this happen.? Continued...
Great Cesar
Cesar Puello, a rising star in the Mets? system, showed off some of his power in Tuesday night?s Home Run Derby. Puello racked up 190 points, though it wasn?t enough to win the contest.
Puello has been a revelation thus far at Double-A Binghamton. The 6-foot-2 outfielder is hittng .328 with 15 homers and 55 RBI, along with 19 stolen bases.
?He?s got five tools and he plays the game hard,? said a National League scout. ?He plays the game the way it oughta be played, runs hard, very aggressive in his game. He?s got a chance to be a starting outfielder for the Mets in the next couple of years.?
Said Puello: ?I?m trying to be positive ... That?s the key right there, playing hard no matter what. Playing hard, anything can happen, you put pressure on the other team.?
Puello has, however, been named in the scandal involving Biogenesis, a former Miami-based clinic that allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to about 20 major leaguers, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun. Puello, who is on the Mets? 40-man roster, is the only Met whose name has been linked to the clinic, and could be hit with a suspension as long as 100 games.
When asked about the situation, Puello simply replied: ?I only have to play. I came here to the U.S. to play baseball, that?s what I have to do. Be positive, play hard and play baseball. That?s what I know.?
Source: http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2013/07/09/sports/doc51dcd633eb47e335963483.txt
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