MiLB Suspends 4 to Start 2015 Season

Baseball play may have not started quite yet for the minor league system, but the front office is already hard at work. They have already handed out the first four suspensions of the 2015 season for players that tested positive to a banned substance. All four payers were popped on their second offense of the MiLB drug policy.

Henry Garcia was the first player of the 2015 season to be served with the 50-game suspension for his second violation of the drug policy. Garcia is currently searching for a team, as the 24-year old was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in December, prior to any drug testing.

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The left-handed pitcher who signed as an undrafted free agent out of the independent leagues back in 2012 had a rough 2014 season in the High-A California League for the Diamondbacks. A year after a breakout season in which Garcia went 7-2 with a 2.25 ERA while posting a 0.95 WHIP and 63 strike outs over 60 Low-A ball innings, Garcia was lit up at High-A. He finished the ’14 season 5-3 with a 5.23 ERA and an abysmal 1.45 WHIP. With the suspension looming and a rough season, Garcia may find a hard time latching on with a new team.

The New York Mets 23-year old pitching prospect Brandon Welch has also been tagged with a 50-game suspension for violating the drug policy. MiLB.com reports it, too, is Welch’s second offense. His 50-game sentence will begin on day one of the 2015 season.

Welch, the righty swingman pitcher, was drafted at the age of 20 in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. He had an impressive run in his first action at Rookie ball in the Appalachian League but struggled last season in the short season New York/ Penn League with the Brooklyn Cyclones. He finished the ’14 season with a 2-2 record while posting a 5.18 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He struck out only 21 over 33 innings pitched, while walking 12 over the same span.

Terrell Joyce, the right-handed outfield prospect currently looking for a roster spot somewhere, was also popped with a 50-game suspension. The former 12th-round pick of the Houston Astros in the 2012 draft is a free agent after a rather unimpressive start to his minor league career. The 22-year old has a career .229/.308/.495 slash line. Carrying a 50-game suspension will make it hard to find a new home, but at just 22 years of age, Joyce should latch on somewhere.

Lastly, a name more familiar to baseball fans, Kameron Loe was hit with a 50-game suspension for his second violation of the drug policy. Loe, drafted by the Rangers in the 20th-round back in 2002, has been up and down between Triple-A and the majors over the past decade. He has appeared in the big leagues with the Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs and most recently the Braves. He has not pitched in the majors since 2013 splitting time at Triple-A in 2014 between the Braves, Diamondbacks and Royals.

All four players were not suspended for PED use which garners an immediate 50-game suspension. These player were caught for a second violation for “drugs of abuse”. The first offense is a warning, the second is the suspension. Drugs of abuse are considered cocaine, marijuana, LSD, heroin, ecstasy or other recreational drugs. It will be interesting to see how long it will take, if at all, for some of these players to find a new home.