Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins is the latest player to receive a PED-related ban.
Early Friday morning, Major League Baseball announced that Miami Marlins second baseman and reigning National League batting champion Dee Gordon had been suspended 80 games after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances.
Although PED bans are certainly not uncommon in the game of baseball, Gordon’s positive test is one of the more shocking ones in recent memory. As a 5’11” 170-pound speedster, the two-time All-Star doesn’t exactly fit the mold of the hulking, muscle-bound steroid user. Gordon has only belted eight homers in 495 career big league games, so this news should once again challenge the public’s notions about what PEDs do and why players use them.
Like many before him, Gordon claimed ignorance about using anything illegal: “Though I did not do so knowingly, I have been informed that test results showed I ingested something that contained prohibited substances.”
Marlins president David Samson chimed in with a statement of both solidarity and disappointment regarding his player. “Dee Gordon is a very important part of our team, and we all love him, and we support him. That said, I do not like, or condone, what he did.”
Gordon is coming off a pair of impressive campaigns in which he used his speed to wreak havoc on opposing teams. In 2014 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he slashed .289/.326/.378 with a league-leading 12 triples and 64 stolen bases. Last year, after an offseason trade to the Marlins, he posted a .333/.359/.418 line while collecting a league-most 205 hits and 58 steals. His .333 average won him the batting crown in the NL.
These stellar seasons netted Gordon a five-year, $50 million contract extension with Miami in January. From the Marlins’ perspective, this is probably the most frustrating aspect of the whole situation. Their star leadoff hitter will miss half the season in his first year after signing a long-term deal. On top of that, there’s no telling for sure if he will be the same player upon his return.
Along this train of thought, ESPN’s Buster Olney argued that players will continue to risk suspension by using performance-enhancers if it leads to lucrative contracts. The only way this might change, he reasons, is if clubs gain the ability to void the deals of those who test positive. Of course, that would likely face significant opposition from the players union.
The 28-year-old Gordon was in the midst of a rather underwhelming start to his 2016 campaign when the news broke. Through 97 plate appearances, he owns a .266/.289/.340 slash line, although he has legged out two triples already and has swiped six bags in eight attempts.
The Marlins will now have to get used to life without Gordon, just when they were starting to show signs of life. After beginning the season at 5-11, the Fish have won five straight games to lift their record to 10-11. As of now, Gordon will be eligible to come back on July 29 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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“Surprised,” “shocked” and “stunned” seem to be the popular buzzwords today as the baseball world reacts to this development. If anything, it serves as a reminder that when it comes to PEDs, nothing should surprise us anymore.