Biscuits hurler Hopkins headed to Atlanta for MLB Futures Game this weekend
Biscuits pitcher Brody Hopkins will participate in Saturday’s MLB Futures Game in Atlanta. (Courtesy Montgomery Biscuits)
By GRAHAM DUNN
Baseball is known for its pranks and Montgomery Biscuits right-hander Brody Hopkins was part of a good one a few weeks ago.
Hopkins was selected for the annual MLB Futures All-Star Futures game as part of All-Star week festivities this weekend. He learned about his selection from his manager, Kevin Boles, who chose to have a little fun with him.
“We both like to play golf and we play at lot at the RTJ Course (at Capitol Hill,)” Hopkins explained. “So, he calls me over and asked ‘hey, did you mess up the greens yesterday?’ I was like, ‘no, sir, what are you talking about?’
"Well, I got a call from RTJ. They said that we're no longer welcome, and they pointed you out and said that you were the one that messed up the greens.”
In a shock, Hopkins denied the charges while Boles had his fun but finally let him off the hook.
“At first he kind of had like a stern look on his face, like he always does,” Hopkins said. “He was like, ‘no, I'm just messing with you.’ He told me, ‘you’re going to the Futures game.’ That was kind of like a little rollercoaster of emotions, right?”
Hopkins will join the top minor league players in the game on Saturday at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The game will be televised on MLB Network at 3 p.m. CT.
Hopkins becomes the fourth player in the last three years to be selected from the Biscuits roster.
The announcement came as a surprise to him and his family.
“My mom and I had this conversation not too long ago about where I would be now,” he explained. ““It was like three years ago, this would have been something that… you play the game and then you wake up, and it’s all a dream, you know what I mean?
“I would have never thought I'd be here.”
After a slow start, Hopkins has come on to be one of the most intimidating pitchers on the Biscuits staff. Regularly hitting the upper 90s with his fastball, he has increased his strikeout numbers significantly as the season has progressed.
“This kid, from where he was in training camp to what he’s turned into now… and how much he's improved, whether it's his work habits, mound presence, coming in every day and doing the little stuff, he’s come a long way,” Boles said.
“The way he competes… You want to watch a guy compete and what they are supposed to look like, that's Brody.”
In the last home stand, Hopkins kept the Columbus Clingstones in-check in his one start in the series, allowing just one run while striking out 10 in seven innings. Unfortunately, the Biscuits offense was unable to produce any runs, handing the South Carolina native a 1-0 loss.
“I’m learning to let things go,” he said. “I know about hitting since I did it all the way up through college and it’s tough.”
Hopkins will join some of the top players on Saturday but enter the game with the idea he is not necessarily worthy to be there.
“No,I don't want it to go to my head,” he said, “but sometimes it's kind of hard when, nobody was asking to interview me and now I've got three in a day. It’s crazy.”
Current and former Biscuits to play in MLB Futures Game
OF BJ Upton (2004-05)
OF Delmon Young (2004-05)
IF Evan Longoria (2007)
OF Desmond Jennings (2009)
IF Austin Meadows (2016)
P Blake Snell (2015)
OF Jesus Sanchez (2018)
P Shane Baz (2019)
P Brandan McKay (2019)
IF Vidal Brujan (2021)
OF Xavier Edwards (2021)
P Taj Bradley (2022)
OF Curtis Mead (2022)
IF Junior Caminero (2023)
IF Xavier Isaac (2024)
OF Chandler Simpson (2024)
P Brody Hopkins (2025)