If the Colorado Rockies were entertaining thoughts of drafting Georgia Southern outfielder Victor Roache with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, things might have changed over the weekend. Roache injured his wrist on Saturday and he could be out for the remainder of the season (responding to a question from Baseball America's Connor Glassey):
@conorglassey left wrist and lookin like the rest of the season
— Victor Roache (@_Heavy28Hitter_) February 26, 2012
Roache was hitting .412/.600/.765 with two home runs before Saturday's injury. He was ranked the No. 9 overall draft prospect by Baseball America (subscription required) before the season began as a result of his power (30 home runs in 2011 with the new BBCOR bats) and a 6-foot-1, 225 pound frame that has created a good swing. He was working on improving his breaking ball recognition, something that hurt him during the second half of his Cape Cod League season.
It's far too early to speculate how much this will affect his draft stock, but he's still likely to be a first-round pick whether he misses the entire season or is able to come back.
In 2011, South Carolina's Jackie Bradley Jr. struggled during his junior season and then had a wrist injury in April that kept him sidelined for over 20 games. He made it back in time to play in the College World Series. And at the start of June Bradley went 40th overall to the Boston Red Sox, a first-round compensation selection.