First to 50 Games: Four Minor League Pitchers Suspended

[Maury Brown]

The Baseball Journals: First to 50 Games: Four Minor League Pitchers Suspended

 

For those scoring at home, MLB has the first test of the new drug policy in the books, albeit Minor League players. Four players were suspended for 50 games today.

 

What?s interesting, and something that has garnered little play since the testing program came into exisitence, is that all 4 of these players are pitchers (none of whom have pitched in the Majors, by the way).

 

When you look at the number of players, at least in the Majors that were caught, pitchers matched position players 6 to 6. What we?re seeing is pitchers using steroids to bounce back from wear and tear. While the data set is extremely small, and therefore inconclusive at this time, 3 of the 5 players caught within the last 2 months of the season (Matt Lawton?s suspension was announced after the World Series on 11/2) were pitchers. Could it be that pitchers are more likely to Juice at the beginning and end of the seasons when stress is more likely to occur on arms and shoulders? Time will tell.

[Mauer7]

matt lawton was on steroids? i never heard that..