Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley has been suspended for fifty games, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The ban is drug-related, per the report, though it is not clear just what improper substance Whitley was deemed to have used.
Whitley, a 20-year-old right-hander, greatly elevated his stock in 2017. Indeed, many outlets now consider him one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, with only the uniquely situated Shohei Ohtani drawing greater plaudits. Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, ESPN.com, and Fangraphs all rated Whitley within the top ten overall pre-MLB players in the game in their most recent rankings.
Typically, fifty-game bans are handed out for drugs of abuse or amphetamines rather than performance-enhancing substances. In this case, Chuck Miketinac of FOX San Antonio says (Twitter link) a source told him that Whitley took an “unknown stimulant” to help keep him awake on a drive. The youngster intends to challenge the suspension, per that report. JJ Cooper of Baseball America notes (Twitter links) that the official release on the suspension does not follow the typical template utilized either for drugs of abuse or PED bans and also stands out because it does not state there was a positive test.
Clearly, there’s still quite a lot that is not known about the situation. Whitley himself released a statement through his agent (via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, on Twitter) in which he accepted responsibility and apologized. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says he’s disappointed in what has transpired but also says he believes Whitley will learn from the situation. (Video via Twitter, also from McTaggart.)
Whitley, a 2016 first-rounder, reached the Double-A last year, compiling 92 1/3 innings of 2.83 ERA ball with 13.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 across three levels of the minors. He will be eligible to return around the end of May and will likely work out in the meantime at the organization’s spring facilities, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (Twitter links).
Well then maybe he isn’t that good.
Read the article. It’s only 2 paragraphs long:
“Typically, fifty-game bans are handed out for drugs of abuse rather than performance-enhancing substances.”
It wasnt PED
Well then maybe you should read the whole article.
Judging by the 1 minute difference from when the article was posted to the comment, I bet only the headline was read.
Nothing brings out the simpletons like talking about PEDs.
Wow
Been hanging around with Jon Singleton too long smh
Yep
Wow. That’s a big name prospect getting popped. Damn.
I truly do not understand how someone with a chance to make…LITERALLY…hundreds of millions of dollar@, would risk that for something stupid like smoking pot (as the story suggests it is a suspension for drug of abuse).
He comes from lots of money
No it doesn’t come from having a lot of money. It comes from not having the right priorities and not realizing what the possible ramifications can do to your life, and those around you.
Without a doubt some people think that using legal and illegal drugs can be an acceptable self indulgence, but facts have showed through the years that all it takes is one time to alter their life (or others) forever.
Through the years I’ve seen too many people negatively affected by dependency and addiction and I assure you it isn’t just those who have money that are affected. Bad decisions can haunt whomever no matter your social status.
Thanks, grandpa.
I’d expect nothing less from an LSD fanatic
While I know from your other posts that you disagree with my opinions the fact is that for years I’ve worked closely with those battling addiction and dependency issues. In the almost every case alcohol or pot was the introduction into the realm of self indulgence.
You are right I am a grandpa and I’m lucky that my own mistakes in my youth didn’t cost me my life. I’ve known too many who had repeated drug or alcohol related arrests, prison time, lost jobs, marriages, custody of their kids, financial security, been permanently injured or maimed or even lost their own lives (and in too many cases they had to live with costing the life of others and they will tell you that is no joke).
Is a quick high really worth the risk of any of that? If you think so then you must be pretty self centered. Dude drugs and alcohol ain’t fun and games, it is just plain stupidity. The gain will never outweigh the potential costs.
I’m a huge baseball fan and I apologize for going on what some may feel is a rant, but if my words can even slightly sway one person away from a potential mistake then my time was well spent.
Well said great Grandpa!
A marijuana addiction ? LoL! What a joke! That’s just another excuse for these privileged little snowflakes to use so they don’t have to admit to their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions!
Marijuana is a plant. not a drug. The only thing thing negative about it is the government’s doing. Spare me your addiction tales.
Lol
Dude, you’re on fire. Good work.
Heroine and a lot of illicit drugs origins come from plants.
After they are chemically altered. Not in their natural state.
The kid took an aterall. He wasnt smoking pot or shooting heroin
I hear stuttering is a side-effect of marijuana use….
It clearly didn’t affect his performance. I think he deserves a medal for smoking and being motivated
If you had read the story he took something to help him stay awake.
I’m not sure I know anyone who smokes pot to stay awake it has the opposite effect.
Not true. Guess you never heard of Sativa strains. Pot can def stimulate you.
It wasn’t declared that pot was the substance. Pot just happens to be one of the sub- topics in here.
It was for a stimulant. Adderall or similar ADHD drugs most likely
Dumbass
Stupid, but the rule is also stupid. He’d be fine if he’d just gotten a DUI, I guess!
You’re probably assuming its weed, which doesn’t sound like that’s the case. Companies generally don’t like to hire people who use drugs (per pre-acceptance drug tests), this is just another case of that.
I hope he at least did some hard drugs. Nothing soft like marijuana
Lol
Pink hearts, greenies etc.. used to be considered “soft” drugs once upon a time didn’t they..
why so he can develop some kind of addiction and get in more trouble?
You really think they come down on them guys over some weed ? I would think half of all of baseball smokes. Damn near half of America smokes maybe more. Gotta be something harder than that. Look at Josh Hamilton and Jeff Allison as guys who fell into things harder. And with the rampant use of opioids in society today it could be anything. Hope he gets back on track
Maybe your half smokes it, perhaps it is time to clean up?
stay in your lane
Tell that to Alex Reyes.
mlbtraderumors.com/2015/11/cardinals-prospect-alex…
There have been numerous guys popped for weed. Lambo, Reyes, and Singleton cross my mind immediately. The trick is to get to the 40 man.
He took an unknown stimulant. It’s likely he took an adderall or a vyvanse. Probably more than once or he’s just very unlucky.
And Ryan Braun claimed he was clean to the point of blaming the piss boy too…
They do. Look at Jonathan Singleton.
And maybe Jon Singleton wouldn’t be a scrub in Double A if he would’ve become a responsible adult and stopped smoking himself stupid.
Sessions, is that you?
LSD fanatic strikes again!!
I’m just not an uptight rhino.
They still test and punish for marijuana in the minor leagues. Not so much in the majors !
I was wondering about that. I can’t remember the last time I saw that a MLB player was suspended for pot.
No suspensions…just fines……A slightly dated Fangraphs article but still accurate
fangraphs.com/blogs/marijuana-and-the-joint-drug-a…
JDA link mlbplayers.com/pdf9/5450924.pdf
oh wow great job way to live up to the hype, I can tell he’s gonna be a winner already
Never like to see this. Hopefully he can get back on track the way Kopech has in the last couple years after a rough start to his pro career.
If it was weed, then obviously as more of the country moves towards legalization MLB will have to follow suit. Marijuana is not a PED; and obviously alcohol isn’t either, although it is far more harmful than pot. I don’t believe MLB tests for alcohol and they shouldn’t test for marijuana either.
You know what the difference between alcohol and pot is? Alcohol is legal, pot ain’t. It doesn’t matter what individual states to do “legalize” pot, it is still and will likely always be illegal under Federal law.
MLB must enforce that law by suspending players who test positive for it or face possible sanctions from the government, and we’ve already seen how the Feds love getting involved in baseball.
You’re ignorant if you think the federal government doesn’t legalize it within the decade.
Pot and gambling are going to be legalized everywhere in the near future. Easy tax money, and a TON of people are doing both already anyways.
Yup.
Gambling is already legal in most places!
Alcohol is legal and way more destructive than weed. Just sayin….(And I am a sober alcoholic who hasn’t taken a drink or drug in many years)
You’re proving his point… It doesn’t matter if alcohol is the most destructive substance in the entire universe – it’s legal. For now, weed isn’t. That’s literally all that matters for most arguments we see in threads like these.
Weed is legal in a bunch of states, right? And it is not a PED, right?
1. Yes
2. Debatable
3. The only question that actually matters – Is it banned by MLB/MILB?
AllRiseForTheJudge….there is a flaw in your thinking…MiLB suspends for Pot/Hash/THC….MLB does not except in extreme cases. MLB only tests for drugs of abuse if there is “reasonable suspicion” and then it must be approved by a 5 member panel. Pot/Hash/THC will only get you fined in MLB and that would never be disclosed. To be suspended for those you need to repeatedly use while in the MLB treatment program “or if the Commissioner determines that the Player’s use of Marijuana, Hashish or Synthetic THC represents a threat to the safety of other Players,”
Link to JDA….mlbplayers.com/pdf9/5450924.pdf
Thank you for sharing the link. I appreciate it. That was something I wondered about.
LOL…just saw this…I replied to your other post with additional info.
Marijuana is on its way to becoming legal in all 50 states in the USA. The government is realizing how much tax money
and profit is in this business. America was grown with Hemp
and for over 150 years it was the major cash crop! Even the Declaration of Independence was drafted in Hemp. The future of this plant is worth TRILLIONS of dollars!
davidcoonce74……”If it was weed, then obviously as more of the country moves towards legalization MLB will have to follow suit.” Doubtful, as all of the drugs, PED or otherwise, are based on the Federal Schedule of Controlled Substances. It most likely won’t be removed until approved federally. Doesn’t much matter at the MLB level anyway.
If they legalized heroin tomorrow do we think that MLB would just suddenly become OK with players mainlining heroin?
Do you understand the term reductio ad absurdum?
He barely understands english
LOL
so sick of the pro-pot narrative; they make it sound so good sports shouldnt just legalize, they should require everyone to smoke it so they can all get those great effects.
not sure how ive lead a happy and productive life all these years without it.
But marijuana can be a performance enhancer for some players! Maybe just not in the normal way most would think it is!
What you say is just not true. If you are under 25, pot is much more dangerous than Alcohol. Brain Cells vs Liver. I’d much rather have my teenage son have the occasional drink than the occasional joint or delivery system of choice.
If you are over 25, it’s pretty hard to take pot in moderation. But if you are over 25, it’s easier to abuse alcohol to the detriment of your health. .
Pot is not a safe drug. But in moderation, alcohol is.
The most asinine comment ever.
I agree ! Everything in that post is absolutely WRONG!
Shoulda traded him
Now now let’s get the full story first maybe he has a little anxiety issue. if it’s weed then I could careless. There is a lot of other worse things he could’ve done. A couple years ago we were having way too many domestic abuse cases. Either way I’m holding judgement until facts come out.
I could be mistaken, but don’t you need to be popped TWICE to be suspended for rec drugs? if so, this is a problem.. my homies in Corpus Christi need to stop giving these guys that stuff.
Sounds like pot. You get young athletes who’ve been pampered and told how great they are for x-number of years, and sometimes they don’t think the rules apply to them.
That being said, it’s a stupid rule, but it’s a rule. I hope that he learns from it. I’ve been an Astros fan for 50 years, and the headline just about gave me a heart attack. No, Forrest, NO! Don’t be a dumbass.
I would imagine most kids his age are smoking pot. It has nothing to do with being pampered and being told how great he is.
You could be right.
MLB needs to chill on testing minor leaguers for reefer. Flat out ridiculous.
I agree. Might as well ban alcohol too by that logic.
Havnt they banned alcohol from minor-league clubhouse ? Along with tobacco as well ?
Better yet, maybe the minor leaguers should know the rules (however stupid they may be) and know how much money is at stake for them, especially the high end prospects.
If they really want to risk that for a little high, they are complete morons. Until the rules eventually change, and I think they will, it shouldn’t be that hard to exercise a little self restraint. If smoking weed is more important to you thank potentially making millions of dollars, you either have a rich family and aren’t worried about money or have extremely f’ed up priorities.
Shoulda talked to phil bickford first.
I remember it was rumored that Whitley was going to be in the return for Cole. Pirates fans were upset that he was not., Looks like it was a good thing he was not.
Legalize weed already. This is ridiculous.
Reading your non-stop comments in support of mary jane, clearly (and look at your self portrait!) you are a pot head. What are you doing up at 11 in the morning? Must be the munchies.
Who cares if he does. I smoke it, I work at 6 am every day. Get over it
Lololol exactly. So I’m a bad person because it rather take two hits when I get off work instead of downing 6 beers. Lol Foh. Newflash, reefer madness isn’t real. You can’t shame people for it anymore.
I’ve always assumed that a significant amount of athletes are using amphetamine-like medications such as Adderall or Vyvanse, the improvements to focus and performance are incredible.
Kopech got popped for adderall too a while back. I wouldn’t be surprised if most players are using something along those lines.
Adderall is used a lot at the college level. It’s technically banned in the major sports except those who are actually prescribed it by a doctor for ADD/ADHD. I’d almost guarantee this is for Adderall
I agree, first thing I thought of when I heard trying to stay awake on a long drive. A lot of college kids still do it, wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it was.
It keeps you focused so you can study . I have ADHD
and OCD
and PTSD
and I’m supposed to take it, but I don’t . It causes heart problems . I hate my phone! It sucks so bad!
They test for that
and it shows up on tests as amphetamines . You have to get an exemption from a Dr.
and have a real medical reason to take it. But there are a bunch of athletes who get around the rules with loopholes .
Wonder if the Marlins would still take him for Realmuto?
Astros still won’t include him.
Fools. Can’t cure stupid.
You guys are all really good at reading. Article states that it was an “unknown stimulant” and also that a positive test did not occur and that it was an unusual situation. The kid stated that he took something to help him stay awake… sorry guys, but weed isn’t that drug… you all think everyone smokes, but you know next to nothing about it? Hmmm. Most likely the kid did take a stimulant to help him stay awake, and he then later realized it was a banned substance and like a person of integrity (which is rare I know), reported it himself. If that’s not the case then feel free to lambast me for it when the real story comes out weeks from now.
The article was originally a shorter blurb on the suspension. Additional details, including using the “unknown stimulant” to stay awake while driving, were added later, probably after most of the speculative marijuana comments had been posted.
Without judging his use of the stimulant, it seems doubtful that Whitley actually reported himself and then decided to challenge the suspension. Most likely, he was tested on or shortly after Houston’s first voluntary reporting date (Feb. 14), which is when MLB begins its drug testing each year.
actually your reading skills also lack as it doesn’t “state that a positive test did not occur”.
it simple states the release doesn’t mention a positive test and that the template for the release is not the typical format.
Heck a stimulant could’ve been an energy drink with ephedra , which is now a banned ingredient , so you never know what he took!
The amount of people saying it’s pot related need to read the article. You don’t smoke pot to stay awake for a long drive lol. The kid took an adderall and will have a prescription for it within a week from a team doctor if he wants (see Chris davis from the Orioles). Still dumb though.
It wasn’t weed guys, relax.
Meanwhile, Mike Trout has a league approved prescription for steroids for a skin issue (acne presumably) and an adderall prescription. Other active MLB players have prescriptions for drugs that are or contain substances that are banned but allowed as part of a medical treatment ……personally, I have a problem with anyone playing in the MLB that requires any drug for any reason that enhances their physical ability…….even diabetes.
You sound like a real fun guy
Well you are an idiot then. Take away handicap ramps for fans and heck, take away seats for those too weak to stand for four hours. While your at it, take away the food. And bathrooms. Only those who can handle those conditions should be able to watch games….
Haven’t heard anything about that Mike Trout prescription but I hope you realize that the commonly prescribed corticosteroids for skin issues are not the same as anabolic steroids
hozie007….It’s obvious you do not know the difference between corticosteroids and anabolic-androgenic steroids so it’s hard to take you seriously. Cortios’ are anti-inflammatory agents used to treat dermatitis, eczema etc. If that upsets you than maybe the should ban aspirin as well. We don’t want a player taking something to relieve a headache. Oh, don’t forget Flonase…it’s a steroid.
I would love for you, actually I challenge you, to provide a link saying Trout has a TUE (providing you know what a TUE is) for Adderall. I am curious considering TUE info is confidential and only comes to light if a player fails to renew and gets popped.
Wait, you’re meaning to tell me that my Flonase isn’t going to get me ripped and ready for MLB ball??? Just when I thought it was going to kick in after a couple years.
You never know Joe. Bonds got big with flaxseed oil and vitamins.
Exactly ! I use Flonase myself , along with some other sprays like that
and they have nothing to do with muscle building! Cat, you are a very smart
and informed person!
I think Johnny Peralta
got into trouble a few years back over an Addie exemption (TUE)
Sorry folks! My phone service is really screwed up today!
I literary hate Barry Bonds. For my stat league, I won’t draft anyone that is known to be a cheater. Mike Trout is still my favorite player.
I bring that up because I’m as anti drugs as anyone. and when someone disparages Mike Trout, I get as upset as anyone. Mike Trout is literally God’s gift to baseball in every way imaginable.
That said, just correct the guy. He’s as wrong as wrong can be. There doesn’t have to be animosity involved.
But it’s not the same kind of steroids ! It’s not the muscle building kind or anything like that! Get a clue!
These comments are degrading to humanity.
performance enhancing or not this seems to be a common issue with the Astros. Maybe they need better education to their players and especially those in the minors on what the banned substance list includes.
Sounds like Adderall to me
Geez what an idiot
I heard it was a combination of bath salts and chilled monkey brains.
I heard he “he caught the fits…. And threw away all my grits….. And then he took and he ate up all of my corn”
Sorry…Great song…I couldn’t help myself.
Hope it doesn’t damage the auto I have of his
Wow maybe he isn’t that great what a shame
Box of rocks!
MLB is reporting it is for PED. A stimulant.
“a source told him that Whitley took an “unknown stimulant” to help keep him awake on a drive.”
He got a million dollar+ signing bonus. He can’t afford a Motel Six? He can’t afford a cup of coffee? Ban him 50 games out of sheer stupidity.
three separate types of anabolic steroids
and a low grade beaver tranquilizer
That Hand-Whitley trade doesn’t sound so bad now does it?
No it definitely still does.
For Astros fans, it still sounds like a nice joke.
Bwahahaha! Mr. Untouchable!
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m having a hard time weeding out the baseball related comments….
You said weeding out! Hehehehe!