AL East players linked to PED clinic (Yankee and new Blue Jay)

[DrungoHazewood]

All-Star second baseman and division rival Robinson Cano is the one responsible for Encarnacion's work during the offseason with former Major Leaguer Luis Mercedes.

Encarnacion and Mercedes hit it off right away, and after almost two months of hard work, they put the finishing touches on a revamped swing that has Toronto's designated hitter among the league leaders in virtually every offensive category this season.

"This was the first year we worked together," Encarnacion said of his time spent with Mercedes in San Pedro de Macoris of the Dominican Republic. "My good friend Robinson Cano was working with him every year. Cano invited me to his complex, because he had a baseball academy he started and he invited me to his stadium.

"That's why, this year, I went to work with him and we did a great job, did great work in the offseason to help me prepare for this year."

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120507&content_id=30643662&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor

From the implication here, I suppose Mercedes is kind of the "cautionary tale" coach. Telling his pupils to do exactly the opposite of what he did. Mercedes was an Oriole farmhand, and the type of outfielder you really don't see any more - a left fielder who hit for average, worked the count a little, and had absolutely no power. Career high in extra base hits in a season was 21, never hit more than three homers in a season, and hit zero MLB home runs.

[SeaBird]

Apparently that is referencing a previous tweet someone is using against him. Very confusing, I know. I think he still stands by his initial tweet... for whatever that's worth. I won't believe it until I hear more.

The whole thing is BS. If you read the initial post he says that they will be suspended for failing a PED test this season. He is insinuating a lame prediction. Geez!

[SrMeowMeow]

Is this substantiated in any way?

[luismatos4prez]

I wouldn't really be surprised by anything, but if you just go ahead and accuse anyone who's ever hit a home run of PED abuse I'm sure you'll evenutally hit on a few of them.

Luis Hernandez hit a HR once. :scratchchinhmm:

[sevastras]

Reading back over his tweets from today, seems as though he is standing by this.

[isestrex]

Is this substantiated in any way?

Basically a guy (this dude's source) with a really juicy bit of gossip (Melky getting suspended) happened to come true eventually. So he's now swinging for the fences with an even bigger bite.

No. It isn't substantiated. We have no clue who this source is, what his success rate is or what his contacts are. He could be some dude in a basement, or he could be Bud Selig's right hand man. This has about as much credibility behind it if I (who accurately predicted Adam Dunn would hit 40+ homers again in 2012) came out and said I have a hunch that Manny Ramirez will make it with someone and hit 20 homers this year. Sure it's nice to say now... but there's no reason to believe me.

This is a total shot in the dark but that doesn't mean it might not hit something.

[sevastras]

Basically a guy (this dude's source) with a really juicy bit of gossip (Melky getting suspended) happened to come true eventually. So he's now swinging for the fences with an even bigger bite.

No. It isn't substantiated. We have no clue who this source is, what his success rate is or what his contacts are. He could be some dude in a basement, or he could be Bud Selig's right hand man. This has about as much credibility behind it if I (who accurately predicted Adam Dunn would hit 40+ homers again in 2012) came out and said I have a hunch that Manny Ramirez will make it with someone and hit 20 homers this year. Sure it's nice to say now... but there's no reason to believe me.

This is a total shot in the dark but that doesn't mean it might not hit something.

My thinking is this guy doesnt do baseball posts and he says he has a source. For all we know his brother is the guy that receives the test results at mlb. From what I know(I dont follow him on twitter, or do twitter to be 100% honest) he doesnt really do baseball and his "source" accurately predicted Melky getting suspended last year. Rumors sparked at the end of the season regarding some of these players, and I wouldnt be surprised to learn that the suspension was delayed until this year so there wasnt 3 Yankees missing from the last month of the pennant race. I am not generally a conspiracy theory kind of guy, but this one wouldnt make me bat an eye.

[isestrex]

I guess it comes down to how many players he predicted would get busted last year. From what I could tell, he broke the Melky news 1 month before it happened. If that's the only guy he said would bet busted and he was right, I'd hardly call that lucky or a shot in the dark. So, IF he was on the mark last summer, there is reason to give him some credence. I'm still going to list this under "too good to be true".

All good points.... the simple fact: we have no idea.

[Blizzard1090]

Melky getting caught wasn't a shocker to me. There was a reason the Yanks traded him away and the Braves dropped him. He was on his way out of baseball before he cheated to stay in it.

[Trackmaster]

If these clowns get suspended I hope that they structure them in a way that doesn't benefit their teams, who probably looked the other way when it was going on. I know that the NFL usually has fines for the team when the player gets suspended, mostly to mitigate the benefit of the reduction in payroll, I'd hope that the MLB would do this too. I'd also hope that for A-Rod's suspension that they would drag their feet on it, or start the suspension when he's scheduled to come back from the DL. So that the Yankees aren't getting away scott free from this, and even lightening their wallets because of it.

[sevastras]

If these clowns get suspended I hope that they structure them in a way that doesn't benefit their teams, who probably looked the other way when it was going on. I know that the NFL usually has fines for the team when the player gets suspended, mostly to mitigate the benefit of the reduction in payroll, I'd hope that the MLB would do this too. I'd also hope that for A-Rod's suspension that they would drag their feet on it, or start the suspension when he's scheduled to come back from the DL. So that the Yankees aren't getting away scott free from this, and even lightening their wallets because of it.

They could probably string out the appeals process for a while. If they could wait until after the second month of the season for the suspensions to start, the Yankees will be in huge trouble. The Yankees already are in bad shape with injuries. It couldnt make me happier to see the Yankees finish dead last.

[sevastras]

It wouldn't make much sense for Granderson or ARod to string out the appeals process unless they had a very good chance of winning.

They will appeal no matter of guilt to try and pull a Braun, but that doesnt mean that MLB can string out the process.

[sevastras]

Braun had a case on a technicality. I doubt that would be the case this time. He was the only one I know of to win an appeal. The injured players would take the suspensions immediately. If they appealed and lost they would miss most, if not all of the season between their injuries and the 50 game suspension.

But a lot of others have appealed to try and save their butts. Emanual Rameriz(note: I will not call him Manny, because there is only one Manny-Machado) and Melky where both obviously guilty and both appealed.

[sevastras]

Pride and reputation are also reasons to appeal. Dont want to be caught cheating.

[waroriole]

It would be cool if MLB held off on the announcements until they returned from the DL.