MLBWeird But True

Suspicious Minds: Jose Bautista “Randomly” Drug Tested 16 Times Over The Last Two Years

I suppose if you woke up tomorrow and over the next year increased your work output by some 300 percent, your boss would be a little suspicious. Do it two years in a row, yeah, people will still whisper and wonder. Which is why it comes as little surprise to hear that some are talking about Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista as a possible candidate to have used a little extra pick-me-up.

Of course Major League Baseball is looking to get to the bottom of the the steroid debacle, with their random drug testing policy. But, according to Bautista, the tests don’t seem to be so random. The 2-time MLB Home Run Champion and newest member of the 50 HR Club has slugged 97 long balls over the past two seasons. This after having hit just 62 over the previous six seasons. Clearly, the skeptics have the numbers on their side.

Speaking at a recent banquet event in the Dominican Republic, however, Bautista told the attendees that there’s no reason for anyone to be suspicious of his Hulk-like outbreak over the past two seasons. Since, after all, he has been “randomly” tested 16 times for performance enhancing drugs. Yes, that’s 16 times in the course of two years.

Considering that over the previous two seasons he had only been tested three total times, to go along with his 28 home runs in 700-plus at-bats, it certainly seems like said tests may not be so “random.” But then again, that’s the current nature of the game. Everyone is guilty until proven innocent… 20-some-odd times over, and over again. It probably would take another 50 or so negative tests in order for the critics to be quieted down.

[Hardball Talk]