The Minnesota Twins selected Hudson Boyd 55th overall, in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. He was coming to professional baseball straight from high school, and the Twins were under the impression that they had gotten a good one. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t played out that way thus far, and yesterday, it got worse.
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Last night, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com broke the news that Boyd would now be suspended for 50 games for failing a second drug test. Considering his track record and results in the minor leagues thus far, this is not good news at all for Boyd.
Twins Minor Leaguer Hudson Boyd gets a 50-game suspension for a second violation of a drug of abuse
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) January 22, 2015
Looking at the profile of Boyd as an athlete, he struggled with weight issues early on in his major league career. I don’t want to speculate on what was taken, but considering the transformation of his body and the weight loss, it is fair to assume the drug abuse violation was not for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Through his first three seasons of professional baseball, Hudson Boyd has yet to advance past Low-A Cedar Rapids. Last season, he pitched to the tune of a 4.34 ERA and was converted to a full-time reliever. After posting a 2.95 ERA in rookie ball for Elizabethton, Boyd has not been below the 3.00 ERA mark since.
With the latest issue for Hudson Boyd, the Twins could soon find themselves at a crossroads. Despite being a first round pick, it may be time to move on from what can be regarded as a failed prospect. Unlike Eddie Rosario a year ago, Boyd has not developed to the stage he should, and an issue like this is not one the Twins can be happy about.
Boyd’s suspension will begin immediately upon the start of the 2015 season.
Next: Top 10 Twins Prospects To Watch In 2015
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