HGH Testing Possible for Minor Leagues

After a British Rugby player was suspended for testing positive for HGH, the topic of testing in other sports has been popping up here in the US recently.

The NY Times reports that Bud Selig and Major League Baseball will begin HGH blood testing in the minor leagues sometime soon, with the hope that approval from the player's union can be obtained to start testing in the majors shortly thereafter.

The MLB Player's Association issued a response that was not at all unexpected, proudly proclaiming they are 100% against HGH use and unsurprisingly also against HGH testing. Similar positions have also been issued by the NFL and the NFLPA. In spite of conspiracy theories that the unions are out to protect their PED-using players, they do have some legitimate points. Firstly, one anecdotal case is not the same as adequate data. The single case of the rugby player has started this frenzy of calls for testing, but what needs to be looked at is the real data behind the test, not just the fact that we have one positive case. The other big point is that we are talking about blood testing, not a simple urine test. Blood testing is invasive, meaning someone has to stick a needle into your arm and there are risks associated with it (such as infection, although the risk is minuscule). I've never had mandatory blood testing done at any of my jobs, and I'd be a bit upset if anyone proposed it. Then again, I've never had a multi-million dollar contract to play games for a living, to be in the public spotlight and to be a role model for the youth of the nation.

Bud Selig is, for once, going about this the right way (hopefully having learned a thing or two from the steroid debacle.) The steroid era in MLB indelibly marred the image of the sport and it happened on Selig's watch. Selig's insinuations that he didn't know what was going on ring about as true as Rafael Palmiero's insistence that he only took B12 shots. Now that Selig is under the microscope and still catches heat for the substance abuse happening in the sport, he's forced to change tactics.

The new plan is to spring testing on the minor league players, most of whom are not part of the player's association. Baseball is free to get the ball rolling and start testing these non-unionized players. After a period of time, if the program appears to be working, it will be easier to pressure the union to approve testing in the major league. Despite all the resistance that MLBPA will put up, I believe that testing is inevitable.

Listening to Myers and Hartman show yesterday, one of their baseball experts threw out the prediction that "whatever the number of steroid users you think there are or were, the number of HGH users is triple. This is the free pass, the untestable substance, HGH is huge" and I have to agree.

Testing is coming. It will take a while before the MLBPA finally capitulates, but it's coming. This time it seems that Bud Selig is being proactive and taking action before the issue gets too far out of hand.

Here's a question

Is the rumored Joe Mauer contract, for ten years, a ridiculous length of time for top dollar?

(I think it is.)

Cubs Outfield Woes

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4936522&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines

Apparently Soriano is not 100%. Whose the favorite to replace him at the start (and I'm already figuring Nady and Byrd are the RF and CF respectively)? Fukudome? Fuld? Colvin? I would figure Colvin starts at AAA regradless of Soriano, Fuld and Fukudome battling in camp. Is Fuld a useful player who should get some time regardless of Soriano?

Looking at platoon splits, an interesting thing pops up to me. The Cubs outfield is rife with potential to split at the corners (ops vs. right, vs. left career)

Alfonso Soriano  0.828/0.863

Marlon Byrd      0.759/0.769
Xavier Nady      0.769/0.854
Micah Hoffpauir  0.796/0.638 - 307 at bats
Sam Fuld         0.764/0.869 - 103 at bats
Kosuke Fukudome  0.789/0.667

Some interesting things pop up. One, they all hit righties at about the same level. Nady can produce against lefties, and that probably earns him his right field spot when healthy. Hoffpauir and Fuld don't appear to hit well enough to displace Nady, Soriano, or Byrd. Fuld, as a lefty, may show a worse OPS against lefties over time. So where does this leave the cubs? Looking for lefties who can mash righties. There isn't a single free agent that makes sense here, Gary Sheffield being the closest thing.

There doesn't appear to be any room for Fuld if he can't hit lefties. But the look at their outfield shows that they may be weaker than most teams out there, and could significantly improve their playoff chances by upgrading any of the three spots. For comparison, here are the Cardinals and Brewers projected outfield splits:

Matt Holliday   0.949/0.875

Colby Rasmus    0.783/0.474

Ryan Ludwick    0.859/0.784

Ryan Braun      0.874/1.140

Jody Gerut      0.803/0.642

Corey Hart      0.775/0.844
 
While Byrd does not hurt them, both have significantly better left fielders and comparative right fielders without the injury risk. The Cubs do not fall behind by too much, but could use an upgrade to compete in the NL Central.

Chan Ho Park Signs With Yanks

Reports are making the rounds that Chan Ho Park signed a one year $1.2 million deal to play for the Bronx Bombers. Park had his moments last year in the Phillies bullpen and that's most likely the roll he'll fill in New York. The competition for the fifth spot in the rotation has mostly been seen as coming down to Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, with Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre thrown in to make things look interesting but would the Yankees consider returning Park to a starting gig? It's possible but most likely he'll just get some innings coming out of the pen and will need to prove he can handle the AL. It's looking like either Gaudin or Mitre's days are numbered.

Damon has a contract

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4931560

Does Damon fit with the tigers? With an outfield that consists of Carlos Guillen, Ryan Raburn, Austin Jackson, Magglio Ordonez, Wilken Ramirez, and Clete Thomas, Damon probably takes one of their spots away. What does the pecking order look like? Off the top of my head I would say Ordonez, Raburn, Damon, Guillen, Jackson. Only Jackson seems like a center field candidate.

I would say yes. Damon gives them a consistent bat and a healthy set of legs to play left and hit 1 or 2. How much he plays, I don't have an idea right now. Does it really shift the balance of power in the AL Central? I would have to say it improves them a win or two but does not significantly effect the odds for the Tigers.