Michael Kopech is the No. 5 overall prospect in the deep and talented Boston Red Sox' farm system. He'll now have to wait longer to prove he's better than that.
Kopech, 19, fractured his right hand after getting into an "altercation" with his roommate a few days ago, Red Sox general manager Mike Hazen told reporters on Tuesday. This comes shortly after the youngster served his 50-game suspension for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The right-handed pitcher was a first-round pick of the Red Sox back in the 2014 MLB Draft. He's pitched in 24 games since then between the team's rookie league and Class-A Greenville and owns a record of 4-6 with a 2.99 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 86 strikeouts in 78 and one-third innings. Even with those impressive numbers, the Texas native has to make amends.
"It's disappointing, very disappointing. It was stupid," Hazen said. "He's going to have to grow up, obviously, with the things that have happened so far. He's got a long road to go to get to the big leagues. He obviously has a ton of potential. He's got a long way to go. These types of things, you don't want to put more barriers in front of you than playing professional baseball already presents you."
Hazen also added that it's unknown how long the prospect will be sidelined as they're still working to determine the severity of the fracture and whether or not it will require surgery. The GM did not disclose any potential discipline for the youngster either.
Kopech, who turns 20 at the end of April, hit 100 mph on the radar gun for the first time in his career last year. Scouts say he still needs some work on his delivery, command and secondary pitches, but he's an aggressive pitcher that could become a future No. 2 starter if he manages to develop a three-pitch arsenal.
If the Red Sox want to hone that potential, they're going to have to keep a close watch on Kopech. Yes, he's young, and everyone at the age of 19 commits countless acts of foolishness, but these first two glaring incidents will characterize Kopech until he changes the public's perspective in some way.
Hopefully he can get it together because any 19-year-old that can throw 100 mph is more than likely to find his way into Major League Baseball.
