Beltre on steroids!
In the New York Times, no less, Michael Lewis writes about how baseball’s increasingly a power game, and it gets into the steroid issue, which of course, has to reach out for someone…
Of course, there’s now some sketchy evidence that steroids have contributed mightily to the power surge. […] Ron Shandler, who has worked as a statistical analyst for the St. Louis Cardinals and publishes Baseball Forecaster, an annual survey of major- and minor-league players for fantasy leaguers, expresses his suspicions another way: he flags players who acquire power the same season that they’ve come back from vacation 20 pounds or more heavier. For instance, Shandler has noted that last season Adrian Beltre, in his final year with the Dodgers before becoming a free agent, reportedly showed up 20 pounds heavier than the year before. Beltre, whose career up to that point had been a story of unfulfilled promise, blasted 48 home runs, 25 more than he had ever hit in a single season — for which he was rewarded, by the Seattle Mariners, with a new five-year, $64 million contract. (When a Tacoma, Wash., reporter asked if he had used steroids, Beltre laughed in denial.)
His career was a story of unfulfilled promise. Ummm… wow. Where to start.
Also, here’s a thought — why not attempt to verify the weight gain? Or consider whether… never mind. What a load of garbage.
Comments
59 Responses to “Beltre on steroids!”
A couple things on Beltre…
1. The cause of his weight loss was a botched appendix surgery (the Drs. nicked his intestine and he had an infection from the screw-up) he had in the Dominican, He nearly died from what I can remember and had to have a 2nd surgery to repair what they did in the 1st. He did lose 20-25 lbs. during the ordeal.
2. On Beltre having 6 good years before he broke out last year, I would chalk it up to that one month every year that he would go on a tear and make his overall numbers look respectable, w/ out that month he would have been given up on a long time ago
3. The 2 most credited things for his career year last season was, 1. his bone spurs in his ankle, kept him from lunging for the outside pitch that he would almost always strike out on & 2. Tim Wallach, who after all the hitting coaches was the one who finally got thru to him.
Now I’m a Dodger fan who moved to Tacoma 5 years ago when I got married, The M’s are my 2nd favorite team after the Dodgers…I told my wife after the M’s signed Beltre, I hope you guys get the AB from last year, cause if you get the AB from the 5 years before, you guys will be mentioning him in the same breath as Cirillo & Spezio in terms of contracts.
2. On Beltre having 6 good years before he broke out last year, I would chalk it up to that one month every year that he would go on a tear and make his overall numbers look respectable, w/ out that month he would have been given up on a long time ago
No one’s argued he had six good years. I’m not sure where you’re getting that.
Also, in the “one month” thing, that’s been debunked here before. Suffice it to say that you can go look at the stats, and it’s just not there.
the real proof will be what he’s going to do from here on out… just as it has been with boone… at Beltre’s age, we should see some ability to at least come within 25 home runs of what he did last year. Let’s see if he does that. And actually, sirs, I have extensive knowledge of what steroids do to your body. And the effects of what extensive gym work can do. Twenty pounds is real easy to put on. But I reiterate, 20 pounds of “muscle” — meaning no measurable rise in body fat while adding body weight, comes very slowly, particularly for athletes who are already in pretty decent shape. And as far as looking “ripped” I’m afraid that has much more to do with genetics (or HGH or steroids) than working out. I could cite studies for you, but I’d probably just hear that it’s “fucking bullshit.” Folks, ‘roids are everywhere now. A study just came out today about a very high percentage of women using them now — as young as nine years old. Not for performance, but for simply looking good. Ignoring how readily available they are merely adds to the problem. Sorry if this post is too long.
So what is the source of your belief that Beltre put on 20 pounds of muscle with no measurable rise in body fat last year?
I’m tired of this bullshit from you. You said that we’d be screaming that Beltre was on steroids if he’d signed with Oakland. I called that bullshit, which it is.
You’ve now repeatedly tried to pretend that that was a blanket dismissal of any and all your other comments, while never attempting to offer any backup or reasoning for your original comment that we’d be screaming steroids if he’d signed with Oakland.
This straw man argumentation on your part is tiresome.
as regard to No. 54 — If you actually saw Beltre last year, you’d know what I’m talking about… there is enormous difference in his body and in his muscle mass from last year to this year. As for the previous poster — you’d attack Beltre if he played elsewhere and defend him because he plays for the Mariners. Why? Because you’re a homer. Simple. No bullshit. Easy. And I guess if you can dismiss my comments with a simple “fucking bullshit” then turnabout is fair play, isn’t it?
lastd comment … Take a look at the comments regarding Jamal Strong and see what i’m talking about. There are several people here posting whose first reaction was, “No way. Not him. No.” … HA!
You obviously haven’t been reading the blog long.
Can you point to a single instance where any one of the authors of this blog has accused any player of being on steroids? How about any player on a division rival team? No?
That’s because we’ve taken a very hard line on “no accusations of steroid use without evidence,” especially DMZ. Derek actually edits steroid accusations out of the comment threads.
The whole point of the post is “don’t throw around explosive charges without evidence.” I’m not gonna speak for Derek, but I’d take that position no matter what team Beltre played for.
Take a look at the comments regarding Jamal Strong and see what i’m talking about. There are several people here posting whose first reaction was, “No way. Not him. No.†… HA!
No, there aren’t. The first comment is (essentially) “it must have been something besides steroids” followed by a long discussion of what steroids might do for someone like Strong, etc.
There is no “several people” who posted “No way. Not him. No.”
There isn’t one.