MLB: 5 Players the League Can't Afford to Have Test Positive for Steroids

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In light of Ryan Braun and the successful appeal of his 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, I started to wonder what other players, if ever caught using, would cripple the progress that MLB has made with their strides to wipe away the stains left by the steroid era.

This by no means is a collection of accusations, but rather more of a hope that each of these players would never be associated with even the slight suspicion of any connection to being a dirty player.

Roy Halladay

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The epitome of consistency from the pitcher's mound over the last decade, Halladay represents the ace-of-the-staff type of hurler that all teams long for. He is the standard for which all pitchers should aim for when constructing a blueprint for their own careers.

A positive test would shatter the entire fabric of which young pitchers aspire to be and would bring about questions as to how the game should be approached by players in the future.

Matt Kemp

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Highlighted by a stellar 2011, Matt Kemp is considered by some around the game to be the default MVP of the league with all the hoopla surrounding Ryan Braun. This fact alone puts the pressure on Kemp to maintain the level of success he exhibited last season.

If it was ever uncovered that Kemp performed last season with the help of a banned substance, the league would go into a tailspin with the top two MVP candidates scarred as dirty players.

Justin Verlander

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Justin Verlander and his 2011 season stands on its own as one of the more dominant performances that we have seen in awhile. It definitely didn't come out of nowhere with Verlander being considered one of the best pitchers in the game, but it is far and away the best season of his career.

A positive test would raise questions for any player that has a career year similar to Verlander, which would take away from the game enormously.

Albert Pujols

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What else can be said about Albert Pujols? The best start to any career in the history of the game. Two World Series titles. Three League MVPs (he also finished behind accused steroid user Barry Bonds twice).

When all is said and done, Pujols might go down as the greatest player in baseball history. A positive test would bring his entire career into question and quite possibly bring the game itself to a screeching halt. 

Derek Jeter

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Major League Baseball's equivalent to Tom Brady, Derek Jeter is the poster boy of the game. Although not the same player he once was, the five-time World Series champ is the premier example of the blue-collar route that most players take to get to The Show.

If it was ever found that any portion of Jeter's career was tainted with PEDs, the entire foundation that this great game is based would be shaken and a timetable to get it back on track would be impossible to predict. 

 

Contact Jeremy at [e-mail], follow him on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy and read more of his takes on sports and pop culture at popflyboys.com