Lance Armstrong’s finally gave up on his fight of on steroid use. If one of the most revered athletes in the history of sports was a cheat, what does that say for the rest of sports?
The MLB has been at the forefront of PED discussion, with an entire era dedicated to juiced out feigns of attention. The likes of Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are long gone but the controversy still continues. Recent positive tests of Bartolo Colon and All-Star Game MVP, Melky Cabrera, have reopened questions on whether cheating is still rampant across baseball.
We already know the likes of many embarrassments to the game that remains in the league such as: David Ortiz, Alex Rodriquez and Ryan Braun. This is the list of the most likely players to used PED’s at some point in their career, while in the league today.
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10. Aroldis Chapman (Closer Cincinnati Reds): He throws over 100mph on a consistent basis while making it look effortless. His amazing numbers may be enhanced by extra help along the way, as his Latin America routes make it all that more suspicious.
9. Robinson Cano (2B New York Yankees): His power numbers have increased drastically over the last several years, capped with a monster performance in the 2011 Home Run Derby. Within the past 5 seasons, Cano went from being a good player, to the best at his position and one of the best in the league.
8. Johnny Damon (OF/DH Cleveland Indians): Damon went from being a pure leadoff hitter to a middle of the order bat in his late 30’s, with a peak in 2009 (at age 35) with 24 HR’s; a career high.
7. Albert Pujols (1B Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem): He has answered questions his entire career of his staggering numbers but continues to perform at a high level. Hopes are he is clean, but the past would beg to differ.
6. Ubaldo Jimenez (SP Cleveland Indians): Though his numbers the last several seasons do not indicate any “help,” his past performances may be a result of former steroid use. His 2010 career year is so drastically different than his career performance.
Courtesy: DisciplesofUecker.com)
5. Rickie Weeks (2B Milwaukee Brewers): His sheer muscle mass alone, as a second basemen, raises eyebrows. Add in his power numbers during the 2010 season (29 HR’s; a career high), and steroids are certainly in the realm of possibility.
4. Hanley Ramirez (SS/3B Los Angeles Dodgers): At one point he was considered one of the best players in baseball, but has not lived up to that hype in years. His power numbers have decreased as has entered his prime; a rarity for MLB superstars. This could be an indication of him finally becoming clean.
3. Mariano Rivera (Closer New York Yankees): This seems like blasphemy but Rivera is one of the few pitchers to keep his dominant stuff into his 40’s. His longevity as the best closer is suspicious at worst.
2. Yoenis Cespedes (OF Oakland Athletics): Just looking at this guy is a sign that steroid use is likely, but adding in his monster bombs in pitcher friendly Oakland make it a foregone conclusion. Expect to see a positive test by him released within the next year.
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1. Josh Hamilton (OF Texas Rangers): He is arguably the best player in baseball and is an inspirational story for many. But where did his numbers come from; this is a guy that spent years out of the game during his Mid-20’s. Could it be a possibility that in order to clean himself of drug abuse and get back into the game, he reverted to another drug to speed up the process?
