Positive drug tests don't happen by mistake

Steve Phillips

TSN Baseball Insider

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What a bummer that Chris Collabelo used PEDs.  He is denying knowingly using them and some will believe him and some will not.  I choose to believe him, but it doesn't really matter. Guys don't test positive by mistake. 

Collabelo may very well have lost his job for good.  There are no scholarships in the big leagues.   The Jays are not holding his place for him even if they like him as he is a really good guy.  If his replacement is performing, Collabello will go to he minors, to another team or home.  It's the nature of the game.  

There are some cynics who say it is guys like Collabelo who get caught cheating - the journeyman role player. Why aren't the stars getting caught?  Is the league or union protecting them? 

The answer to that questions is NO!  

There is no conspiracy.  Sure, some guys may be cheating, but they aren't being protected.  People don't keep secrets.  If it was going on, we would know it.  

This situation is a reminder to everyone that the risk of cheating is real.  The steroid issue will never go away.  There will always be someone trying to get ahead. The 80-game suspension and lost pay will certainly sting, but at some point, I hope it's the damage done to one's reputation and the perception, as well, that will help guide better decision-making.

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Is MLB's Drug Testing Tough Enough?

A Fox Sports article last week asked major league players about the sport's drug testing program.  Many, like Toronto's Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista, believe it works while others such as Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander don't think it's tough enough.  

I can completely understand the sentiments on both sides.  It's so much better than it was before, but it would be foolish to think that the game is completely clean. 
  
I was a general manager in the heart of the steroid era of baseball (1997-2003). As an executive back then, I wanted a clean, level playing field for all players - but without a testing program that was impossible. So my second choice was a level playing field for all. That meant I wanted my guys to be clean, but I sure wasn’t going to look in every shoebox in lockers to see who had syringes. 

I could have investigated my players, but I also wanted to keep my job. I didn’t think I could go to my owner and say, “I know we don’t hit as many homers as everyone else, but our players don’t have acne on their back nor ‘roid rage.”  I didn’t have the courage to take that position.

When testing was fully implemented, it was only after more than five percent of the players failed drug tests that they knew were coming.  The union fought the process on behalf of the players in the early 2000’s.  But over time, there's been a shift in the players’ position. I never could understand why the majority of players who didn’t cheat were silent. I then came to realize that the majority of players in the steroid era were using PEDs. That’s why there wasn’t a revolt. 

Drug testing and the penalties for violating the joint drug policy have certainly changed the decision making for a vast majority of the cheaters. So players like Donaldson and Bautista are right that for the most part the program is working. 

But players like Justin Verlander are right, too. The chemist will always stay ahead of the testing system and someone will develop a drug to beat this test or that test. Then the testers will adapt and find ways to identify the new drugs. Then the chemists will try again and again. There's no stopping it completely. But that fact doesn’t mean that the system is for naught. The number of cheaters has dropped significantly and that's a good thing.  

The penalties can be increased and it may scare a few of the potential cheaters straight - but certainly not all of them. There's too much money to be made and because of that, there will always be those that try to get around the rules.  Greed can do that to people.  

What I would like to see is the saving of blood and urine samples for future testing. That way, if the chemists and cheaters are beating the drug test today, they might get caught in the future when the testers catch up to the science.  

I would also like to see teams punished in addition to players. If a major league starting pitcher tests positive, his team should vacate all of the wins that pitcher earned. If it's an everyday player, the club should have 10 wins vacated from their record.  When players are going to make teammates suffer because of their selfishness, they may think twice before cheating.  

There's always more that can be done. But the reality is that there's no perfect system. Compared to other sports, baseball has the most stringent testing program and the most significant penalties. Overall, I'm proud where the game is on this issue.

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Six in the 6ix?

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is entertaining the idea of temporarily moving to a six-man rotation to lower the workload on his starters. The Jays' rotation is already among the league leaders in innings pitched, but the move would more specifically help young pitchers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez.  

While you would like to keep their innings down, the two young pitchers may be their own worst enemy: The better they pitch, the more you want them to pitch. 

I'm a big believer in protecting young pitchers’ arms. I also believe that fatigue is the biggest culprit for injuries and there's a physical learning curve for compiling innings. Pitchers' bodies adapt and adjust over time. It's the significant increase in workload that can be dangerous.  

The big question is, how do you manage the innings to maximize value while minimizing risk? One thing's for sure, the Blue Jays shoudn’t do what the Nationals did a few years ago and set a rigid innings limit which led to shutting down Stephen Stasburg when the games meant the most. As you recall, Strasburg was not allowed to pitch in September or in the playoffs in October. The Nats did the right thing limiting his innings, since he was returning from Tommy John surgery. 

But they completely mismanaged the use of those innings.

I'm not a huge fan of a six-man rotation. I would by far rather manage pitchers from start to start. There's no reason Stroman or Sanchez need to pitch beyond six innings if they have a three-run lead or deficit at the time.  If the bullpen can’t hold a three-run lead for three innings, then the Jays shouldn’t win anyway. 

That may sound simplistic, but it's the truth.  Sure, it may cost a game here and there, but in the long run the Jays will have their best pitchers available for the most innings over the course of the season.  

Now I have no problem with a sixth starter being added to the mix, but I don’t want there to be multiple turns through the rotation with six starters. That throws off the rhythm of the more veteran pitchers.
  
So here's the solution: Gavin Floyd should replace Aaron Sanchez for a turn through the rotation, but the Jays will keep the other four pitchers in turn. Then when he has appropriate rest, Floyd should replace Stroman for a turn through the rotation.  

This approach keeps the rhythm and routine of the group in place, while protecting the innings of their young studs.   

The New York Mets did a great job managing the innings of their young guns last year, even against their wishes. They protected the young pitchers from themselves and they could serve as a good example for the Jays in some ways.

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Houston, We Have A Problem?

There are a lot of teams that have had surprising starts to their season. The Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox have both gotten off to far better starts than anyone anticipated.  But I don’t really believe they can sustain that success.  

On the down side, no team has gotten off to a more disappointing start than the Houston Astros (5-11). They were such a pleasant surprise a year ago. Dallas Keuchel emerged as their ace on the way to winning the Cy Young Award. Shortstop Carlos Correa came to the big leagues and wowed us.  After being a wild card team last year and now with a full season of outfielder Carlos Gomez and offseason acquisitions of Doug Fister and Ken Giles, there are big expectations.  

So far, the pitching has let them down. The Astros are last in the American League in ERA, compared to being the best in 2015. Not even Keuchel has been immune to struggles. As a staff, they've allowed 25 home runs in 16 games compared to last year when they gave up the fewest.  

I predicted the Astros would win an AL Wild Card berth. And I still believe they will, but they better get their pitching in order soon before they dig too deep of a hole.

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Some Random Thoughts  

- Mike Trout has been the best player in baseball over the past few years, but now he's second best. Bryce Harper is the scariest hitter I have ever seen and he's No. 1 now.

- While I am at it, I might as well change my mind on pitchers too. Clayton Kershaw has been my favorite, but now it seems pretty clear that Jake Arrieta is better. I would still take the younger Kershaw for the next five years, but Arrieta would get the ball for me if my life depended on winning a game today.  

- After the first 16 games, the 12-4 Cubs have outscored their opponents by 60 runs. That is pure domination. It sure feels like there are the Cubs and then everyone else.  

- David Price got booed by Red Sox fans on Wednesday. I never would have predicted the honeymoon would have ended this quickly. Price won’t make excuses, he'll just look at the note in his locker that says, "If you don’t like it, pitch better!" He will and they will cheer again in Boston.  

- I wish the Jays hadn't traded Ben Revere for Drew Storen. The Nats were looking to move Storen after everything that happened last season with his demotion. The Jays could have gotten Storen for a mid-level prospect and held on to Revere. He was in the deal to wash out some of the money Storen was due and is the leadoff answer the Jays need. He's just wearing the wrong uniform now.