2016 MLB Draft prospect Delvin Perez tests positive for PED

Industry sources have told Baseball America that shortstop Delvin Perez, the Puerto Rican shortstop who ranks No. 8 on the BA 500, failed the drug test administered by the Major League Scouting Bureau. Perez’s positive test was first reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

Perez failed the test for an undisclosed performance-enhancer, according to sources. Perez has been linked to teams throughout the first 10 picks, as high as Cincinnati at No. 2 and also including the Brewers at No. 5, the Marlins at No. 7 and the White Sox at No. 10. A positive test does not affect a player’s eligibility to be selected.

At the same time it was reported that University of Kentucky infielder JaVon Shelby tested positive for Adderall, an ADHD medicine rated as a PED by MLB. Shelby is not in the same tier of prospect as Perez but was expected to be picked in a single-digit round.

As BA notes, it is uncertain what this will do to Perez on draft day. In recent years some draft-eligible players have not been overly harmed on draft day by a positive drug test. Jon Gray and Aaron Blair tested positive for Adderall in 2013 and Phil Bickford tested positive for marijuana in 2015. All were still drafted where their talent warranted.

Opinion on Perez was rather mixed in any event. His athleticism and defensive potential are highly-regarded but not everyone believes in the bat, and where he projects in the first round depends on how much you think he'll hit.  My guess is that teams who already are lukewarm on Perez will become more so, while those inclined to like Perez will still like him.

The test may ultimately have little effect on his stock, but it adds another element of uncertainty to the mix.