Reports: Potential first-round 2016 MLB draft pick fails drug test

Delvin Perez may have just cost himself some money

The first-year player draft begins Thursday evening, meaning eligible players across the country are settling in for a long, long night of anticipation and excitement.

One prospect who could have a long night Thursday for other reasons is shortstop Delvin Perez, who recently failed a drug test, according to Jon Heyman. Keith Law later filled in the blanks, reporting that Perez tested positive for an unnamed performance-enhancing drug. Law expanded:

MLB tests the top 200 draft prospects each year for various performance-enhancing drugs and drugs of abuse and reports the results to club officials who inquire about specific players. A positive test does not affect a player's eligibility for the draft.

Perez was already known to have maturity issues before this development, which was reportedly causing teams at the top of the draft to temper their interest. This revelation certainly won't help change any minds, and instead could push Perez further down the board, perhaps into the teens.

Of course, it only takes one scouting director sold on Perez's upside -- he combines intriguing offensive potential with quality defensive tools -- to nab him and prevent an embarrassing draft-night landslide. Still, Perez's failed test and past transgressions could have cost him millions of dollars.