LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri considers the three days of the Major League Baseball draft among his least favorite days of the year.

Mainieri said the draft combines two of his least favorite things: saying goodbye to his current players and sweating out the possibility of prospects signing with professional teams.

LSU had six active players chosen in the 2010 draft. The Boston Red Sox chose junior pitcher Anthony Ranaudo with the 39th pick of Compensation Round A. In the third round, junior catcher Micah Gibbs went to the Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers picked junior centerfielder Leon Landry.

The Milwaukee Brewers selected junior pitcher Austin Ross in the eighth round, and senior first baseman Blake Dean joined Landry after being picked 262nd by the Dodgers.

The Brewers also selected sophomore centerfielder Johnny Dishon and former Tiger Chad Jones. Jones left school early, was selected as a third round draft pick for the NFL’s New York Giants and did not play baseball for the Tigers this season.

Mainieri said he anticipates the departure of Landry and Ross, but said the other drafted players, apart from Dean, aren’t certain of their futures yet.

“I would anticipate that Anthony is going to sign,” Mainieri said. “I’m not sure exactly how it’s going to play out. I know that he’s getting advice from Scott Boras, an agent with a reputation for being a pretty hard line guy. I’m sure that Anthony’s going to handle all his own negotiations to make sure that he keeps his eligibility alive.”

Ranaudo had not made a clear choice of whether he would sign in their previous conversations, Mainieri said.

Mainieri said he sees Gibbs’ selection by the Cubs as a great opportunity for him, although the Pflugerville, Texas, native was initially disappointed at being selected in the third round.

Mainieri said it won’t be easy to replace Gibbs should he choose to turn professional.

“We’ve taken that position for granted for a while now,” Mainieri said. “Somebody’s going to have some big shoes to fill there.”

Landry said he couldn’t wait for the opportunity with the Dodgers.

“I have an opportunity to go to a place where I think I’ll fit well, and I think I’m going to go for it,” Landry said. “I like the Dodgers. They’ve got a couple of older guys on the team who will probably be shipped out of there so that’ll give me a little room to maneuver up the rankings a little bit.”

Landry said he was happy to get a chance to go off to the pros with Dean, one of his close friends.

“I just ran into him in the hallway. I gave him a big hug and we told each other we can’t get away from each other that easy,” Landry said. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be my roommate wherever we go. I think we’ll look out for each other there, and I’m excited to go out there with him.”

Though Mainieri seemed certain Ross would sign, he said the junior would make up his mind during the next few weeks. Ross said the wait was the worst part of the draft.

“I’m just relieved that it’s over and I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to go anymore,” Ross said.

Mainieri was wistful when he talked about the possible departure of his players.

“I was really hoping we could get back to Omaha this year,” Mainieri said. “I thought we could do it. I kind of felt like this year was the end of an era.”

In spite of the impending losses, Mainieri said he is already looking forward to the new group of athletes he’s recruited.

“Next year begins a new era,” Mainieri said. “I really love our recruiting class. I’ll love them more if they come to school of course,” he continued with a chuckle.