Congratulations, we made it a full week into 2013 before we had to see a headline with the word "suspension" in it. That ended on Wednesday, as the Houston Astros were the first team to see it happen with a 50-game suspension.
Slugging rookie first baseman Jonathan Singleton, who plays for the Astros' minor league affiliate at AA-Corpus Christi, released a statement on Wednesday to discuss the suspension he will receive.
I was informed today that I have tested positive for marijuana. As a result, I am being suspended for the first 50 games of the 2013 season. I accept the penalty and take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to my parents, the Houston Astros and general manager Jeff Luhnow.
The Astros have been nothing but supportive of me and good to me in my short time with the organization. My hope is to use this as a learning experience and spend the rest of my career proving to myself and the baseball community that this was a lapse in judgment, and is not in any way indicative of my character or my dedication to baseball or to my team.
Singleton was traded from Philadelphia to Houston in the July 2011 deal that sent Hunter Pence to the Phillies. In his first full season with the Astros in 2012, he carried a .284 batting average and brought home career highs in home runs (21), doubles (27) and RBI's (79).
The 50-game suspension notes that this is a second positive test for drug abuse, which is how marijuana is now categorized under MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The first violation for any player who has a positive drug test results in a warning.
For more information, check out the MLB Examiner on Facebook as well as follow along on Twitter.
Comments