Starlin Castro still confident despite performance and being dropped to 7th

In Commentary And Analysis, News And Rumors by dmick8925 Comments

Yesterday Starlin Castro was dropped to 7th in the order because he had pretty much sucked for the last week. He's been pretty sucky at the plate all season for that matter. Despite that suckiness, Castro remains confident he'll get back on track.

"It's a little bit tough in the beginning right now," Castro said. "I know it won't be like that for a year. I've got four months left and hopefully you'll see a difference. I know I can do more than that."

Confidence is good. I don't expect Castro to be this bad, but I do think he has to make some adjustments at the plate. A later comment by him makes me worry though.

"Let's see this month," Castro said. "I'll make it. I can be aggressive, I can be ready. I'll do my best. Good things aren't happening now. I know it's coming."

Aggressive could mean many things, but usually in baseball aggressive means attacking pitches. Here's to hoping that Castro means something else, because the biggest adjustment he needs to make at the plate is to become less aggressive.

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  1. GBTS

    re: Suspensions without failing a test, from last thread

    The Joint Drug Agreement does allow the league to suspend suspected PED users based on “just cause.” Five years ago, MLB suspended Braves outfielder Jordan Schafer for HGH use without a failed drug test. At the time, MLB spokesman Mike Teevan justified the suspension by saying, “We have non-analytic means of identifying players. He falls under that category.”

    In the current case, MLB expects Bosch to verify the authenticity and accuracy of documents linking the named players to the use, possession, sale, and/or distribution of PEDs. OTL’s report implies that Bosch’s testimony could be enough to further or maybe even clinch the league’s perceived attempt to issue multiple suspensions.

    http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/64419/the-murky-waters-of-mlbs-latest-steroid-case

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  2. GBTS

    @ GBTS:

    A Player who tests positive for a Performance Enhancing Substance, or otherwise violates the Program through the use or possession of a Performance Enhancing Substance, will be subject to [suspension].

    No idea what the latter means. How does MLB determine a player “used” PES in the absence of a drug test?

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  3. Mercurial Outfielder

    “We don’t have any empirical evidence against you, so we’ll just pay off some random drug pusher to say you were, like, totally, a client of his.”

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  4. Mercurial Outfielder

    There is no way to prove use beyond a reasonable doubt without a positive test.

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  5. Author
    dmick89

    @ Mercurial Outfielder:
    Would a text to Joe Torre about a random player using qualify as non-analytical means? If so, Cubs fans should start texting the MLB offices about Votto, Cueto and everyone else who can pretty much ensure they win the division this year and every year after.

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  6. GBTS

    I don’t doubt Bosch was mixing cocktails for a number of these guys, but it would set a truly horrendous precedent if MLB could conduct a mass suspension of players outside the collectively bargained process. What’s the point of the JDA if you can just suspend guys based on the notes of a drug pusher?

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  7. Author
    dmick89

    @ Mercurial Outfielder:
    Agreed.

    Anyone know if the NFL allows suspensions or penalties for PEDs if the player has not tested positive? If they don’t, and I hope they don’t, the MLBPA just got bent over when they signed this deal.

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  8. Author
    dmick89

    I know this much: any action Major League Baseball takes against them based on the cooperation of Anthony Bosch is equivalent to erecting a building on a rotten foundation. But of course, baseball has done this before, so it’s not all that surprising that they’ll attempt to do it again.

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  9. Author
    dmick89

    I’m constantly amazed at what lengths MLB goes to in order to help ruin their own sport. It’s like a Board of Directors publicly announcing every single little scandal even if there’s only a shred of evidence. There’s good reason this does not happen. It’s bad for the company.

    The lengths MLB goes to in order to “clean up the sport” only harms its future.

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  10. GBTS

    dmick89 wrote:

    http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/does-mlb-have-a-case-this-time/

    But, beyond that, there’s something that MLB has to go up against in this case: its own testing regime. MLB has called its testing the best in sports or at least U.S. professional sports. Meanwhile, except for a mere few of the players on the list, all of them have tested negative, repeatedly negative, over the course of the period they are alleged by the questionable witness to have received and used these banned substances. MLB is doing nothing more than undermining its own testing system in the eyes of the media and the public.

    This. Here’s how it’s supposed to work:

    “Dear Mr. Baseball Player: We have good reason to believe you received PEDs from some lowlife with a degree from Miami Upstairs Medical College. You must pee in a cup within 24 hours or you will be in violation of the JDA. Sincerely, Baseball.”

    Baseball is supposed to have the best drug testing on the planet.

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  11. Author
    dmick89

    The best thing for baseball is to go on with their testing, punish those who are caught, talk up how clean the sport is, and ignore anything not related to a failed test. Talk about the negatives as infrequently as possible. Turn those negatives into a positive. So and so was caught doping, he’s been suspended, he’ll be better because of it and this just proves that baseball’s testing is the best in the world.

    Don’t go out looking for scandals. Don’t create them by doing stupid things. Every positive test should be hailed as a success story and not as the worst crime in the world they make it out to be.

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  12. Author
    dmick89

    GBTS wrote:

    Baseball is supposed to have the best drug testing on the planet.

    They might. I don’t know. All I know is that other sports aren’t constantly highlighting the players who take substances. Anybody with a brain knows that there are more players in the NFL doping than in baseball. It’s never a story because the NFL acts like it isn’t one. MLB should learn something from them.

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  13. Mercurial Outfielder

    @ dmick89:
    Not to mention that they spend the rest of their time trying to alienate their fanbase by keeping highlights behind a paywall, suing people for making gifs, and keeping people from consuming their product with arcane blackout rules.

    MLB owners are some of the stupidest and most morally bankrupted motherfuckers on this entire watery planet.

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