Eleven MLB Players I'd Bet Are on the List of 103 Other Positive Steroid Tests

Jeff Kneis by Correspondent Written on February 09, 2009

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BERLIN - AUGUST 29:  Photos of anabolic steroids confiscated in a police bust earlier in the day stand on display at police headquarters August 29, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. Police in the German states of Berlin, Lower Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

With the recent news of there being a list of 103 players with positive steroid tests in 2003, I decided to think of who may be on the list. This is a list of people I believe have or still do take steroids. This is purely speculation and may turn out not to be true in the near future.

Steroids again are coming up as an issue in the MLB and it is a shame that with all the players that have been clean, that they must be grouped together with the ones that have cheated the fans and the game.

Things I look for are players who have had one or two very productive seasons around the 2003 season, players who have gained or lost a tremendous amount of weight in one off-season, or those who have been injured constantly since the new steroid regulations started.

I encourage people to agree or disagree with me. Leave any thoughts on who I may have missed and feel free to write an article with a list of your own.

Adrian Beltre

SEATTLE - AUGUST 19:  Adrian Beltre #29 of the Seattle Mariners swings at the pitch during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Safeco Field August 19, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

A classic example of having one great season and then heading back to the average numbers. In 2004 Beltre had 48 HR and 121 RBI. In 2003 he had 23 HR and 80 RBI, and in 2005 he had 19 HR and 87 RBI. I understand people can have a good season, but the 2004 season doesn't make sense with his career season average of 25 HR and 89 RBI over ten seasons.

Pudge Rodriguez

OAKLAND, CA - JULY 05:  Ivan Rodriguez #7 of the Detroit Tigers hits an RBI double in the 3rd inning against the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum on July 5, 2006 in Oakland, California. The Tigers defeated the A's 10-4.  (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty

Not really pudgy anymore at only 190 pounds. Between the 2004 and 2005 seasons he went from 215 down to 187. You hear the same excuse of he changed his eating habits and wanted to lengthen his career. I don't buy it. Since the 2005 season he has been averaging around 15 HR and 50 RBI, down from his 25 HR and 85 RBI average before. His speed hasn't improved with 27 SB in 4 seasons, compared to 25 in his 1999 season.

Jason Varitek

BOSTON - MAY 29:  Jason Varitek #33 of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated by teammate Julio Lugo #23 after Varitek hit a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park May 29, 2007 in Boston, Massachusetts.  (Photo by Elsa

Another catcher that decided to lose a bunch of weight in the last couple years. His batting average has dropped off considerably in the last couple of years and his other stats have dropped off since 2004. Some of this decline can be attributed to his age, but with the Red Sox competitive line-ups in the past few years, he should have had more opportunities to bring in RBI and see better pitches.

Placido Polanco

28 Feb 1999: Infielder Placido Polanco #27 of the St. Louis Cardinals poses for a studio portrait on Photo Day during Spring Training at the Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.

Placido falls under the category of just looking like he has taken steroids. His head is way too large for his body. Every time I see him at bat or in the field I wonder.

Compare this picture of early in his career to now. It is hard to even see a resemblance between the two.

Gary Sheffield

KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 13:  Gary Sheffield #3 of the Detroit Tigers connects during the game against the Kansas City Royals on May 13, 2008 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.  (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Gary Sheffield is a great example of a player that has completely fallen off the map since the new steroid policy was applied in 2005. He had a mostly consistent career of high 30s or low 40s HR years and around 100 RBIs a year. Since 2005, he has been on and off the DL and is finally showing his age. In the previous three seasons he has had only 50 HRs while in 2003 he had a career high of 43.

Eric Chavez

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 11: Eric Chavez #3 of the Oakland Athletics stands ready at bat against the Chicago White Sox during a Major League Baseball game on April 11, 2007 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Chavez has been in a similar situation as Gary Sheffield, in that his previous three seasons have had a ton of injuries. He had put together a string of six consistent seasons of high 20 or low 30 HR seasons and around 100 RBI. At only 31, he should not be facing as many injuries as he has in the previous seasons. When healthy, he rarely looks like his old self and no longer looks like one of the top third basemen.

Jeff Kent

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 11:  Jeff Kent #12 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats against the Florida Marlins during the game at Dodger Stadium on July 11, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. The Marlins defeated the Dodgers 3-1.  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty

His 1997 through 2005 seasons were very consistent and he was one of the best power hitting second basemen in the league. I think it is more than a coincidence that Kent and all the other players statistics on this list have dropped off considerably since the 2005 season. His power has reduced in the past three seasons with 14 HR, 20 HR, and 12 HR.

Jose Guillen

KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 28:  Jose Guillen#11 of the Kansas City Royals swings at a pitch against the Minnesota Twins on May 28, 2008 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Jose Guillen's statistics have always had me wondering. How can someone who is supposed to be at the peak of their athleticism in their mid 20's have seasons of 3 HR, 10 HR, 3 HR, and 8 HR between 1999 and 2002? In his late 20's and early 30's he has stayed healthy while increasing his HR totals and batting average by a wide margin. Not sure how this would happen.

Brian Giles

SAN DIEGO - MARCH 31: Brian Giles #24 of the San Diego Padres follows his hit during the Opening Day game against the Houston Astros  on March 31, 2008 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. (Photo by: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Looking back at his Pittsburgh Pirates days, Brian Giles has slimmed down quite a bit. This has also has limited his power numbers. Even with moving to Petco Park, which is known to be a tough hitting park, it is hard to explain how a player can go from 39 HR, 35 HR, 37 HR and 38 HR in the 1999-2002 seasons to 15 HR, 14 HR, 13 HR, and 12 HR in the 2005-2008 seasons.

Kyle Farnsworth

BRONX, NY - MAY 6:  Kyle Farnsworth #48 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Cleveland Indians on May 6, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

I have always wondered why Kyle Farnsworth is the only pitcher I have seen that does the bench press and works out with heavy weights. If it really helped him throw harder, I guarantee there would be other pitchers out there copying his workout routine. He also has a few incidents of bench clearing brawls and tackling batters. Looks like he may have a case of Roid Rage.

Frank Francisco

ARLINGTON, TX - JUNE 27:  Pitcher Frank Francisco #50 of the Texas Rangers throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during Interleague MLB action on June 27, 2008 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.  (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

I had to add Frank onto this list of possible steroid users. I still can remember watching an A's vs Rangers game where he threw a chair into the stands at a woman. I am sure he was being yelled at by the fans and probably something inappropriate was said, but when would any person would think it is acceptable to throw a chair into the stands? It seems to me like another candidate of Roid Rage.

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written on February 09, 2009 Preview/Prediction

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