Trouble in Hagerstown?

Ho hum. Another day, another report of a Nationals farmhand suspended for violating MLB's drug program.

First, 21 year old catcher Adrian Nieto suspended for 50 games last week after testing positive for PEDs.

Yesterday, another catcher in hot water: 22 year old Hector Taveras (apparently, he made a stop in Hagerstown in 2010). Via Associated Press:

A person familiar with the penalty tells The Associated Press that Washington Nationals minor league catcher Hector Taveras has been suspended 25 games because he was found in possession of an unauthorized syringe. (via AP/ESPN.com, 2/8/2011)

Just last July, Nats minor leaguers Steven Souza and J.R. Higley of (you guessed it!) Hagerstown were suspended 50 games each for testing positive for PEDs.

Good thing Nats GM Mike Rizzo has his Dominican operations under control, because it seems that he might have a little problem on his hands 70 or so miles northwest of Washington. Is there a problem in Hagerstown?

Better find out soon, if that's really where the Nats intend to start Bryce Harper...

 

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Comments

[Michael L.G.]

Could be a coincidence but you have to wonder if they have a McNamee or Radomski working in the clubhouse who has a side-business selling PEDs to kids.

Sometimes when you connect the dots you come up with a picture.

[The Running Pug]

It's well known by people in Hagerstown and the surrounding area that the city has a drug problem. It's called The Hub City because several rail lines and roads converge in Hagerstown. However, that has made it a key waypoint in the drug trade so the Hub now has a different connotation. Whether that applies to PEDs or not, I don't know, but Hagersbush, as natives call it, definitely is no stranger to drugs. FWIW.

[Tim]

Ignorance abound in this article and comments. Two of the suspensions took place outside of Hagerstown. Higleys excuse was legitimate and Souza is the only one who really did something in Hagerstown he shouldn't have. Make sure the dots are right before you start connecting them. Hopefully Spring comes quick so you can stop making up stories to blog about (IE Strasburg BP months ago and this current BS).

[The Nationals Enquirer]

@Tim - Thanks for the comment. We take full responsibility for any ignorance in the post itself. But when four players connected to an affiliate are suspended in an 8 month span, it raises a flag. No?

Now, the BS Strasburg BP post yesterday -- if you read the post and not simply the headline -- was actually wondering out loud about how Strasburg's rehab is going. It was widely reported that he was on track to start throwing a baseball by now. Nothing too nefarious there.

We're with you, though on the hope of a quick arrival of Spring.

[Michael L.G.]

Tim, I am former law enforcement and I said "could be a coincidence" but what if it isn't?

So I think sometimes where there is smoke there is fire. It may be nothing and just isolated cases but when guys travel through A ball and move up and are doing PEDs, the problem may have started at a lower point. The operative word is "may".

This is no BS, the Nats can't turn their heads and think there is no problem. They need to find out where the supply is coming from and cut it off.

Guys like McNamee and Radomski ran for years undetected and look at the mess they left behind.

[The Nationals Enquirer]

@Michael: For our money, Tim's point is well taken. When you take a closer look, there's no similarity between the four cases in terms of substance -- no "supply" to cut off as you say. Any connection to Hagerstown is incidental at best... Just for fun, here's a list of All-Time MLB and Minor League Drug Suspensions, via the Biz of Baseball...

[Michael L.G.]

Then it is coincidental we hope and isolated cases.

Still, there is a problem in sports in general. When recent High School recruits in the High School Football showcase were asked a series of questions, 24% said they knew kids in their High School that were doing PEDs.