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New York Mets: Why Bartolo Colon’s PED History Doesn’t Matter

By Katrina Hamrick

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On Friday, MLB announced that New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon has been named a 2016 All-Star replacement, much to the delight of fans everywhere. So why do we celebrate Colon while simultaneously bashing every other past PED user?

New York Mets starter Bartolo Colon will be headed to the All-Star Game in San Diego next week, replacing Giants’ pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is slated to start on Sunday for the Giants, making him ineligible to pitch in the Midsummer Classic.

When the news was announced, Twitter lit up with fans who were elated to see MLB’s most lovable starter given a spot on the All-Star roster. Colon has garnered similarly positive reactions in the past, including earlier this season when he hit his first career home run. Bartolo GIFs are almost guaranteed retweets and shares on social media, and there’s no doubt he’s a fan favorite.

With all of this love for Colon, it begs the question: why is he not held accountable for his past performance-enhancing drug use in the way that other players are?

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When the Biogenesis scandal broke in 2013, Colon’s name was linked to the Florida-based clinic along with several other stars, including Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and Ryan Braun. (Colon had already served his suspension the previous year, after failing a drug test in 2012, so he was not issued a second one.)

Rodriguez, Cabrera, Braun, and many of the other players on the Biogenesis list are booed in every stadium they play in. PED users like Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are denied entry into the Hall of Fame due to their drug-related transgressions. And yet, Bartolo is a cult hero to baseball fans everywhere.

One of the key differences may be the way in which Colon handled his suspension. Braun threw the sample collector under the bus, accusing him of anti-Semitism and tampering with the sample. Melky Cabrera paid to build a website advertising a fake product, in an effort to fool investigators into believing his failed test was the result of consuming a fraudulently-advertised supplement. Rodriguez impeded the Biogenesis investigation in many ways, earning an extra-long suspension as a result.

Colon’s statement was a bit more dignified:

"“I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A’s,” Colon said in a statement released by the players’ association. “I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the joint drug program.”"

Perhaps the key to avoiding the wrath of fans and fellow players alike is his two-pronged approach: “I apologize” and “I accept responsibility for my actions.” He didn’t even file a grievance, which would have been a subtle way of denying any wrongdoing.

Few PED users have tried that method, since even players who don’t create elaborate schemes to escape punishment typically resorting to excuses like “I had the flu, and just wanted to get healthy…” or “I think I ate some protein bars that inadvertently included banned substances…”

Another factor here could be Colon’s salary. When he was suspended during his first season with the Oakland Athletics, he was on a one-year deal, making $2 million. The next season, he signed a one-year, $3 million deal. This is in stark contrast to the mega-contracts signed by many of the other players at the time of their PED use, or in the season immediately following their suspensions (in the case of players like Cabrera or Jhonny Peralta).

Sure, Colon is making big money with the Mets now, but he didn’t give the appearance of signing that contract as a direct result of his PED use.

Bartolo also has a solid reputation in the clubhouse, and is still a very capable starter. For a pitcher who throws almost nothing but fastballs, it’s pretty unbelievable that he’s so difficult for batters to hit.

The final difference between Colon and A-Rod or any other PED user is, of course, that Colon is endearing and large and charming to watch. A big man clumsily lumbering around the basepaths? Yes, please, more videos of that. Let’s be honest – a big part of Colon’s popularity is that we all love to retweet and share GIFs and stories that allow us to make clever jokes, and Colon is the perfect target for those jokes. He embraces his role as the funniest player to watch in the game, and it’s hard to stay mad at the class clown of MLB.

Next: Time For the Mets to Add Starting Pitching?

At 43 years old, Bartolo has used his good-natured personality to completely win over many of the fans who typically bash players with PED histories. Colon has proven that players can return to the league’s good graces if they just accept responsibility, apologize, and move on – especially if they make us laugh.

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