Another day, another Mariners embarassment. This time, it’s Tim Beckham. The 29-year-old shortstop was suspended for 80 games Tuesday by MLB for the use of stanozolol, an old-school performance-enhancing steroid on the sport’s banned list. He’s done for this season, and the punishment will linger into next season for any team signing him.
Stanozolol first drew international attention in 1988, when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson had his Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters stripped because he tested positive post-race. The drug has been banned by the International Olympic Committee since 1974.
Beckham claimed that he accidentally ingested a “tainted substance” from a trusted source. He released a statement via the players’ union.
The teams and the union provide players with lists of banned substances. Supplements remain unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and players are told to avoid them because the contents often are unknowable.
In his first month as a Mariner after five seasons in Tampa Bay and Baltimore, Beckham was hot at the plate — a slash of 282/.352/.527 with nine doubles, six homers and 19 RBI in 30 games — and terrible in the field. But his bat cooled, and after rookie J.P. Crawford emerged as a credible major leaguer, Beckham lost his starting job. He had been getting increased time at left field and first base, but he remained a fielding liability and was seen as likely to be cut.
In 88 games, his slash line was .237/.293/.461 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs. In 25 starts at shortstop, he made 12 errors.
His roster spot likely will be filled by 2B Dee Gordon, returning from the 10-day injured list after a quad strain.
In May 2018, then-Mariners 2B Robinson Cano was suspended for 80 games for PED use. He was caught using the masking agent furosemide, a diuretic often used to dilute urine samples and cheat drug-testing regimens. It was the first PED suspension in his 14-year career.
Cano was traded in the off-season to the New York Mets, where Tuesday he was diagnosed with a torn hamstring. It will be his third stint in the injured list in a season in which he’s hitting .252.
26 Comments
If you’re going to use a performance-enhancing drug, it should at least enhance your performance come. I mean, come on.
This team is an embarrassment.
He did hit 15 home runs. But there’s no PED for bad hands.
Lol. . wow. . .this has been an unbearably sad season. . .I’ve been truly trying to look the other way so that I may preserve my longstanding fandom for this team. . .how much more are we expected to endure? I cling to the start of the SeaHawks preseason to ease the pain.
Hey Mark, hate to break this to you pal but the Hawks aren’t going to do anything to ease your pain.
You sure, Mark? Did you see 10-6 coming a year ago?
I surely did Art. . . I made the call when so called experts were predicting the Hawks would finish 4-12. . lol. . I think we have another divisional playoff game in our future and depending on 2 key pieces. . .Rashard Penny and DK Metcalf. . were either 10-6 at worst or possibly 12-4 and another trip to the NFC championship. . who we face when/and if we get there (Rams or Bears) will determine who wins it all in that scenario. . (NFC Super Bowl Champion this year. . bank on it!
So you’re buying into the notion that the d-line can pressure the passer and the secondary can do something when the line whiffs. Brave man.
Art. . Think linebackers. . we’ve got the best set in the league and they will pick up the slack. . I also expect a huge leap in secondary coverage. . 2nd and 3rd year players young hungry and ready to make an impact. . .a top ten defense to go with a top ten offense and we will once again be that team no one wants to see come playoff time. . everything should be in place by week 8 (see Ziggy Ansah and Jarran Reed). . you heard it here first Bro.
Seriously?. . change your name guy.
I’ve been thinking about a name change— Daniel Vogelbach becomes the The Danbino. Whadayathink?
Lol. . I can dig it
I should patent that name. I mean, I could make HUNDREDS of dollars on The Danbino t-shirts!
The Mariners are asking much of longtime fans.
Wow, can it get any worse? Who wrote this horror novel? What’s next?
I suggest the only hope for this ship of fools is to hold a seance, in an effort to bring back the ghosts of 2001. It’s their only hope!
Horror novel. That’s an interesting idea! Just for fun I’m going to check scores and see how many games they’ve lost by 6 or more runs. By September 30 they may set a team record in this interesting stat cate-gory. It’s been gory, alright.
I think even Dipoto would admit to shock about how bad his bad looks.
So easy to forget 13-2 . . .
The Mainers make money for the owners. As long as they are profitable there is no incentive to spend the money necessary to field a competitive, winning team.
True, but not the point here. Beckham made a foolish decision.
At this point, its actually a cruel punishment for the people in the M’s front office to continue the charade of running a major league baseball team. Its like they’re actually banking on being the only team in in a five state radius, so the fact that they exist at all is enough to garner support. But what of substance is there to support? Can we pawn this franchise off on Portland or something, and them endure the pain?
Careful what you wish for. Portland is gearing up for an expansion bid, but they’d be thrilled with a relocation.
I’d be thrilled with a Portland expansion team. It would give the M’s a long-overdue rival, geographic or otherwise, and it would force them to be more accountable in producing a better product in the battle for Northwest hearts/minds … and ticket?TV revenues.
Hear, hear. Competition over monopoly. Might be a good column topic in the off-season.
Shades of the SeaPort Cascades? Or the Tampreal Rays?
It would take a heart of stone …..
“But you’ll never break, never break, never break, never break- this heart of stone.” (Rolling Stones)