11:40am: The league has officially announced the suspension, adding that the banned substance for which McKirahan tested was Ipamorelin.
10:43am: Bowman reports that McKirahan’s positive test was conducted in March, before the Braves claimed him from the Marlins, but the results of the test were not revealed until Sunday (Twitter links).
9:03am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that McKirahan apologized to his teammates yesterday and informed them that he used a cream during Spring Training.
7:45am: Braves left-hander Andrew McKirahan has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
McKirahan, 25, was the Marlins’ selection in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, (out of the Cubs’ system) but the team placed him on waivers late in Spring Training and saw the division-rival Braves claim him. McKirahan has pitched 4 1/3 innings for Atlanta so far this season, yielding a pair of runs on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
It’s not yet known what substance triggered the positive test, but four players have been suspended for Stanozolol over the past month. Ervin Santana and Jenrry Mejia were the most notable names among the four, but the Braves also lost Arodys Vizcaino for 80 games. The other to test positive was another Rule 5 Draft selection — the Mariners’ David Rollins.
In a bizarre way, the suspension does make it easier for the Braves to retain the rights to McKirahan. Because McKirahan was a Rule 5 pick, the Braves were required to keep him on the 25-man roster or Major League disabled list all season, as he cannot be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers and then being offered back to the Cubs. As we saw with Rollins, the team will still control his rights while he serves his suspension on the restricted list, and they can therefore avoid rostering an inexperienced arm for much of the season. Of course, that’s not how the Braves wanted to retain McKirahan, and it remains to be seen if they’ll maintain their interest following the suspension.
Wow, they are dropping like flies…Hope this doesnt become a bigger problem than it already is
If it is Stanozolol, someone is telling these guys it is okay to take.
Also, wonder if the Braves maybe think it is okay. Now 3 Braves (one ex) have been suspended for it.
I highly doubt this is the case. This guy has been a Brave for like 2-3 weeks tops.
Or someone is tainting supplements, because stanozolol is one of the oldest anabolic steroids around. Everyone else this far has tested positive for that drug.
Except Yankees minor leaguer Wilking Rodriguez who was suspended 80 games for taking Furosemide
Furosemide, the diuretic? Why is that banned? Anyone with heart disease or hypertension is on it. That’s a large chunk of the adult American population.
I think all diuretics are banned by doping agencies. They can be used to hide the presence of other drugs.
It is also still one of the most effective and one of the few that can be taken in pill form. Both are reasons why it is still popular
I know it’s easy to draw that conclusion. I would say to look at the other linkage…both of the Braves players that were suspended came from the Cubs farm system…
Just saying.
Why is that conclusion any more legitimate than the fact that they both currently play for the Braves? Should we suggest that neither player was ever tested in the Cubs system and were only tested once they got to the Braves and failed?
Ohh detective Michael Brown on the case! Piecing together silly coincidences and deriving facts from them!!!
When they were in the Cubs system they both tested clean and then McKirahan was taken from the Cubs in the rule 5 draft in December 2014 and Vizcaino was traded by the Cubs to the Braves in November 2014 so they hadn’t been in the Cubs system for a while when they both tested positive in tests taken in March 2015….. So much for your linkage….
Since he admitted to taking it during spring training the connection is pretty flawed for him. That would mean that he would’ve had to take it and get tested for it in a span of a few days for it to be related to the Braves.
The process from taking the test to punishment isn’t overnight. If there are more suspensions over the next couple weeks they’ll likely still be from spring training.
Do the 80 games count as time spent on the active roster? If so, it seems that teams would benefit from Rule 5 players getting suspended. You would basically only have to keep them for a half year to get full control.
no, when players are suspended they are placed on the restricted list and are not on the active roster
He won’t be considered on the active roster, that’s true, but the Braves do retain his rights while he’s suspended.Same happened with Seattle and Rollins.
He wont accumulate service time, and thats what matters,,,you are correct that the Organization retains his rights but he wont get credit for being on the roster. As stated in the rules: “A player does not accrue MLB Service Time for days spent on the Disqualified List, Ineligible List, or Voluntary Retired List, or for days spent on the Restricted List for any reason other than a Prohibited Substance suspension.”
“or for days spent on the Restricted List for any reason other than a Prohibited Substance suspension.”
Did you miss the part where it says “for any other reason OTHER than a Prohibited Substance suspension”, which is exactly why he got suspended.
That’s the way I’ve understood it. I’ve also read numerous times that it does count toward service time. Otherwise, that clock would continue for 80 games into the following season in order for teams to keep the Rule 5 Draft picks.
From what I’ve read, you DO accrue service time if suspended for PEDs.
So it basically works the same way as the DL.
McKirahan’s first words will be “I don’t know how this substance got into my body”
“I never knowingly took this or any PED. I apologize to the Braves organization and to my teammates for this distraction.”
Might as well send it out to suspended players as a form with blanks they can fill in…
or “I’m sorry I used a cream in ST”?
Wow, now how could you possibly have known that one??
I read the news as it comes out 🙂
Does the time suspended count on their ML service time? If not, that would also be beneficial to the team.
No, it doesn’t. They are placed on the restricted list and are not listed on any active roster.
yes it does. Ethan is having a hard time reading the entirety of the rules.
let me guess, he’ll say he never willingly took any illegal substance.
It’s probably stanozolol again. This is just ridiculous.
Sounds like the Braves drugged him in order to retain his rights. 😉
The test was done when he was a Cubbie.
marlins actually. he left the cubs in December.
Thanks for the correction.
Everyone is looking for reasons that there are so many positive tests when it seems to be quite simple. The JDA is examined and amended each year after the end of the season. After the embarrassment of Biogenesis the MLBPA finally agreed to allow testing that is almost to the standard of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). The use of biological passports and Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry make it much more difficult to cheat. The old standards of a pass/fail were ridiculously outdated. The reason these failed tests seem to be trickling out is that every single player is tested upon arriving for spring training. Only one laboratory in Montréal Canada is approved to do the testing and only the head of that WADA approved laboratory does the testing. This is not the last failed test we will hear about.
My question is…. is this “biological passport” re-created from past tests results where the old standard was used, or was it implemented recently?
From what I have been able to find out previous sample results are on file. Here is the difference. Under the old protocol A player’s T:E ratio (testosterone to epistestosterone) had to exceed a 4:1 ratio to be considered a fail. After that further testing was conducted. Now a baseline is established according to previous results and any deviation in a T:E ratio triggers an IRMS test that can detect the tiniest amounts of artificially created testosterone. That is why you are seeing so many failed tests. Random IRMS are also conducted and “reasonable suspicion” testing is also allowed if memory serves
Edit: when I have time later on I will go over my copy of the JDA and try to get you more specific answers.
That makes a lot of sense. I can see why they would use Stanozolol, because it is a “mild” PED that provides great results. It helps pitchers to recover from pitching much quicker but it would not raise your Testosterone too much. What gets me it’s the whole “I don’t know how it entered my body” Just come out and be honest about it, the damage is done.
I’m pretty sure the rule 5 obligations carry after the suspension. Which means he needs to be active for a full year, not just the 2015 season
The restricted list designation resolves that. The Braves can protect him without having to use an active roster spot. Actually works out for the Braves.
Yes but once his suspension is up, he would still need to accrue 1 year of MLB service
no he wouldn’t b/c restricted list suspensions do not take away from service time calculations. He will be the Braves’ if he remains on the roster for the 2015 season: No carry over exists.
If that is the case then this is something to be fixed in the next cba. What stops from rule 5 picks that might be going back to their team to take a banned substance and serve a suspension while accruing service time?
Not being paid while you’re suspended.
Nothing guarantees the team (the Braves here) will keep the player who can be returned to his original team once clearing waivers, and thus not accrue anytime. Also it costs the player half a season in development/pay and his reputation. You don’t think this is gonna follow him for the rest of his career? It will. And his teammates won’t forget it.
at least he just admitted it rather than make up some dumb excuse…..that might help when the braves decide whether to keep him or not
At least they got the truth out of the guy. Doesn’t make it a better scenario but it looks much better when players just admit it and move on with their lives.
It should be noted that both suspended pitchers came from the Cubs organization, with McKirahan coming late int spring training. Could that smoke reveal fire in that camp?
no. (a) minor leaguers are tested more than major leaguers and so both he and VIzcaino were likely clean last year and (b) he admitted to taking it during this ST.
It is likely that both players, both of whom have dealt with severe injury histories, saw an opening for their careers to blossom by being moved to a new team and decided having a little extra juice was worth the risk.
No correlation. Vizcaino cheated with Braves. McKirahan cheated with Marlins. Any links you may imagine are coincidences
McKirahan apologized to his teammates yesterday and informed them that he used a cream during Spring Training.
Oh the old ‘cream’ excuse.
Barry would be so proud
WOW… this is a huge surprise! He’s American. I only mention that so bonehead analysts can stop thinking there’s some coincidental conspiracy with players from the Dominican Republic.
Bowman – A source familiar with the situation said McKirahan’s positive test was conducted in March, before the Braves claimed him off waivers
And that makes sense…. The first mandatory test of the season is during spring training after the first full workouts when everyone has reported. They can’t do all the tests and one-day so it would lap over into March
So if Atlanta had traded for him instead of claiming him, could they get their players back, since the test would’ve happened beforehand? That kind of delay seems inexcusable.
Do you realize how many tests are done in spring training…. Every single player is tested…. Each of those tests has to be sent to the laboratory in Montréal and each of those tests has to be conducted by the head of the Montréal laboratory. After a failed test is confirmed there is a whole another process to go through. more fails will continue to be released
Story correction on 10:43 update: he was claimed from the Marlins – 7:45 story explains it.
Baseball really needs to lose its love affair with the Radar gun, it seems like pitchers went from using PED’s to recover from injury to purely performance. I can’t really understand Santana’s mindset though it isn’t like he needed to hit high on the gun to stay in the majors and he was already one of the more durable pitchers in the game, maybe the innings caught up to him?
Or maybe he was durable because he’s been using all along and never got caught because the old testing system was a joke. I’m not saying that is fact that he used before…. I’m just saying it’s a possibility with all these guys
.
PEDs do nothing for velocity.
I think that depends on the pitcher extra lower body muscle would definitely help velocity for a drop and drive guy.
No, it doesn’t depend on anything. Its been conclusively proven. PEDs do not increase velocity.
Citation?
First off, pretty much every pitcher who was rejected due to lack of velocity tried steroids and have universally failed to increase their velocity. There are endless stories about pitchers who have tried and failed to increase performance in this manner.
Second, PEDs don’t work to increase on field production anyhow, they reduce recovery time. You recover from injury quicker, recover from being tired quicker. Things like that. So you’re closer to 100% effort when you play than you would otherwise be. They don’t increase skill or strength, they increase ability to recover. So you can then work harder for longer and more often. If anything, steroids would let you pitcher harder deeper into the game. A pitcher who starts the game throwing 94 but finishes throwing 91 might be able to stay at 94 the whole game. But a pitcher who throws 89 isn’t going to throw 95 because they took steroids.
You might want to look at the curious case of Bartolo Colons velocity charts, who happens to be a drop and drive pitcher.
Here’s the thing:
Pitch velocity has very little to do with strength. Pitch velocity depends on the length of the arc formed by your hand during the pitching motion. The shorter the arc, the faster the pitch. Stronger muscles don’t shorten the arc. That’s physics speaking.
You are assuming all pitchers use the same mechanics though, they don’t, Colon gets his fastball speed from his leg torque. Which is why he has the legs of an NFL RB.
Speaking of physics, while certain PED’s may not enhance a pitchers performance I suggest you do a little research in regards to muscle mass increase/bat speed etc before declaring that PED’s do not increase on field production. One good place to start is the work done by physicists Roger Tobin and Alan Nathan.
Steroids do not increase muscle mass.
Which is why no body builder ever in history used them…right?
It increases potential to build body mass, it does not build body mass. Huge difference.
You do realize that steroids act as an artificial testosterone. Testosterone increases muscle mass.
Now I see what you’re doing…. you trying to nitpick. Yes, if someone takes steroids and artificially increases their testosterone and then sits on the couch… They are not going to increase muscle mass. An athlete who take steroids and works out will increase muscle mass. That is fact.
Athlete would likely increase muscle mass anyway. Steroids increase the threshold whereby your body will stop gaining mass. Steroids really aren’t going to change much unless you’re already pushing the thresholds of your body, and just because you’re a baseball player doesn’t mean you’re already doing that. You cannot discount how enormous and powerful the placebo effect is. Look into the placebo double blind tests in steroid muscle growth.
I must admit you are quite humorous….. I am done.
haha, okay. If anyone else is curious though, look into the placebo effect. You’ll find placebo accounts for a huge amount of the benefits from anabolic steroids. Numerous studies into this. You can read abstracts in google scholar.
You’re doing physics wrong if you think that’s how velocity is generated.
Alright, I guess Frank Jobe knows nothing about how the human body works.
Can you cite your source re:’endless stories about pitchers who have tried and failed to increase performance in this manner’. Can you give me one example of a story?
I can’t cite anything because they only let you link to fangraphs and baseball reference. Just search for it and you’ll find loads. I believe Frank Jobe did a piece in Washington Post about how velocity doesn’t change from steroids as well.
you do realize Vizcaino and McKirahan both have extensive injury histories and only just returned to the field in the past year right?
I never questioned why they used it only Santana.
Well, at least he broke rank and was busted for using a growth hormone peptide. and not an AAS
Thought it said Andrew McCutchen at first.