Ranaudo gives pitching arm rest until August

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jul 4, 2009 - Page: 1C

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

For anybody who played baseball as a kid, you know.

There’s really no such thing as a summer vacation.

Between practices, games and the always present directive to never, ever swim on game day, there isn’t a whole lot of time for relaxation.

That’s how LSU sophomore Anthony Ranaudo grew up in New Jersey, so he’s never thought twice about one baseball season leading directly into the next.

Until now.

The 6-foot-7 right-hander will take this summer off from baseball, a precautionary move to make sure his talented pitching arm has a chance to rest and recover from a busy college season.

During a spectacular 12-3 sophomore season, Ranaudo threw 1241/3 innings — doubling the most he has logged in a season. He struck out 159 hitters to lead the Southeastern Conference, walked 50, and limited foes to a .209 batting average.

All of that added up to a weary body, an arm pushed to its limit more than ever before and a decision reached among Ranaudo and LSU coaches Paul Mainieri and David Grewe to shut things down until late August when fall classes resume at LSU.

To do so, Ranaudo had to decline an invitation to pitch for the USA Baseball National Team. He said that was a tough call, but one he knew was best for the future — his and the Tigers’.

“I know how important I have to be next season for my team, and it’s also important to my arm and my overall health to make sure I’m as ready as I can be,” Ranaudo said Thursday. “I need some time to rest.”

Lazy days at the beach on the Jersey shore, lots of sun and swimming without worrying about the consequences.

“I’ll try to do some things I haven’t been able to do, now that I have some time,” said Ranaudo, who will spend most of the next several weeks in Jackson, N.J. “I’m going to work out in the mornings, get my running done and then go and hang out with my family. I’ve got four nieces and nephews I don’t get to see very much, so I’ll spend a lot of time with them.”

Not that baseball will be completely removed from his mind.

He lives an hour from the new Yankee Stadium, and as an avid fan of the Yankees, he plans on taking in a few games. He might even trek across the Big Apple to see the New York Mets play.

Most of Ranaudo’s LSU teammates are playing in summer leagues ranging from Alaska to Illinois to several spots along the Atlantic Seaboard. Six Tigers — five current and one future — are playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League in New England.

The Cape Cod contingent includes catcher Micah Gibbs, one of Ranaudo’s roommates and closest friends. Gibbs played for Team USA last summer and will also pass up the chance to represent his country this summer. He and Ranaudo vowed to play together this summer. Both would have played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape, but Ranaudo’s plans changed that.

“I felt really bad at first, but deep down I think he wanted to go to the Cape,” Ranaudo said. “We were looking forward to it, but when I told him I was gonna take a break, he was OK with it.”

The way things worked out might help Gibbs in the long run.

“For Micah, in the summer before his draft eligibility year, it’s more beneficial to go to the Cape Cod League and get seen by scouts — he can show them in person what he can do,” Mainieri said.

As true as that is for hitters, it’s not as vital for pitchers who deliver the kind of season Ranaudo did in 2009 to prove or re-prove themselves in summer ball.

“I feel like I had a pretty good year, and if scouts want to come see what I can do, they can come next year,” Ranaudo said. “I pitched 125 innings this year and showed what can I do when the pressure is on. I think I’ve put myself in a pretty good position.”

Ranaudo isn’t the only LSU pitcher who will take a break this summer.

Freshman closer Matty Ott is also shutting down for the next 6-to-8 weeks to rest his arm after 37 appearances out of the Tigers bullpen.

Ott saved a single-season record 16 games and was 4-2 with 69 strikeouts and only six walks in 501/3  innings.

“We just want to make sure these guys have a chance to rest and not risk any injury going into next season,” Mainieri said. “There aren’t any arm problems. It’s just a precaution with both kids.”