Do the Astros have a drug problem?


What constitutes a drug problem in the farm system? Is it one guy being caught or two or a dozen? How about one a month? Or two a month?

How about if it’s two in one month being suspended for 50 games.

Well, the Astros this month have been so lousy that their number of series victories in the majors (one) is half the number of minor-league players suspended (two) for violating baseball’s minor-league drug prevention and treatment.

Any way you cut that, you must say there is a problem considering Houston is the city that produced admitted performance-enhancement drug user Andy Pettitte. We’re not going to mention any other names because those folks claim innocence.

Gabriel Garcia, a lefthander for the Appalachian Rookie League’s Greeneville Astros, became the second Astros farmhand this month to be suspended for 50 games for violating baseball’s minor-league baseball drug prevention and treatment program.

Class AA Corpus Christi outfielder Mitch Einertson drew a 50-game suspension on Aug. 7 for a drug of abuse, which baseball lists as anything from cocaine to LSD, Marijuana, Opiates, Ecstasy, GHB or PCP.

The 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse is earned only after a player has already been caught once violating the drug prevention and treatment program, so it’s unclear how many other Astros minor-leaguers have tested positive this year for drugs of abuse.

Asked how many of his minor-leaguers have tested positive this year, Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett, the farm director, said he couldn’t give out that information. So it’s unclear how rampant drug use is in the Astros’ farm system, if at all.

Garcia, who was 0-4 with a 7.91 ERA in 10 starts this season, tested positive for metabolites of Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid. Under baseball’s program, a first positive test for a performance-enhancement drug earns an automatic 50-game suspension, which means using steroids once is actually treated more harshly than using cocaine once.

“I’m always concerned about it,” general manager Ed Wade said. “We try to educate the players the best we can on avoiding putting themselves in those positions. And I think we’ve done a good job with that. I’m pretty sure that our numbers. Any player testing positive is making a mistake, so I’m certainly not justifying what anybody has done or whatever circumstances develop with our organization.

“That said, I think our numbers, I know they’re below the average for the 30 clubs. But again, what we as an industry have to get to the point of zero players testing positive of any type of substances. And basically having zero tolerance for it. That’s what the drug program has accomplished. If you see enough of your teammates missing 50 games, I think the message — unless you’re a little dense — the message should be getting through. Some of these kids who have tested, I think they were somewhat victimized by ignorance of what they’re ingesting, where they got things. Other guys that where recreational drug usage or things like that that are occurring in our game then player have to look at their own lifestyles and figure out that’s not going to work.”

Einertson’s suspension was for a drug of abuse, which means it was more likely a recreational drug than a performance-enhancing drug. Garcia, a prospect out of Venezuela, was suspended for using a performance-enhancing drug.

“The kid that just got suspended off the Greeneville club, I saw him pitch the other night,” Wade said. “He walked off the mound in the fifth or sixth inning, and he’s not going to see the mound for another 50 games. He’s going to be pretty deep into next season before he’s able to compete again.

“That’s a shame that no matter what the circumstances are it’s a shame that something like that would occur. That’s why we have to continue to educate the kids and make sure that they know that they can’t walk to the corner store or go into some health food outfit and think that they’re getting something that isn’t going to get them in trouble.”

Categories: General

7 Responses

  1. Becky says:

    If I had to play for Cooper….I’d have a drug problem too.

  2. WAst Side says:

    If I was 0-4 with an ERA of almost 8, I might turn to drugs also. JK. Kids, don’t do drugs!

  3. lisa gray says:

    actually, it ISN’T tolerated at ALL at the ML level – they get a 50 game suspension for the FIRST, not the SECOND offense

  4. Puerto Rican Rick says:

    If the piece is about the Astros having a problem, then there was no need to mention Pettitte. His admitted usage came as a Yankee. Just because he or anyone else lives in Houston, there is no reason to lump him with the Astros. It’s unfair to the team if their usage occurred in another organization.

  5. rick roberts says:


    “…educate them” “…on avoiding putting themselves in those positions.”

    Begs the questions:

    Are they that dumb?


    Is the perceived gain in performance and the resultant possible money and fame more valuable than the risk?

  6. bob blab says:

    The Astros have an ownership problem

  7. Ryan says:

    When you tolerate it at the Major League level, is it any wonder you’ve got a problem in the minors?