What good is MLB drug policy when pitchers usually don’t get punished?

Question by 6: What good is MLB drug policy when pitchers usually don’t get punished?
It’s usually only the position players who get punished. And I have seen more outrage from fans when position players get a positive test than when it’s a pitcher. It’s a joke there is no real punishment here. Betancourt and Mitre both served their suspension on the DL. Volquez will serve his on the DL. And I saw reports he won’t appeal, well no s—! Appealing would just delay his suspension and since he’s on the DL it makes no sense for him to do that.

Best answer:

Answer by Mr.B
All those pitchers are still being punished – sure they are allowed to rehab but they do not get paid during that time. They are losing fifty days pay (almost 1/3 of their annual salary).

In those situations the team is not being punished which is too bad, but it would be very difficult to make that work – if MLB said a player must serve his suspension after he comes off the DL, teams would just activate the players 50 days early.

Answer by Nate
Pitchers do get suspended. As a Twins fan, I remember that Juan Rincon earned a big suspension a few years back, and I’m sure other teams’ fans could give you plenty of other examples.

I disagree with the policy of letting them serve their suspensions on the DL. That is an unfair circumvention of punishment. I don’t really think it has anything to do with them being pitchers, though. If a Third Baseman were caught juicing up and he got hurt at the same time, they’d probably have him serve his suspension on the DL Too.

Also, last year when Manny Ramirez was suspended, they let him play minor league games as a “rehab” assignment before he came off suspension. I disagree with that policy, and I think he shouldn’t have been allowed to play minor league games until he served his time.

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