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PED usage in the NBA and other pro sports

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Ed Hollison:
Another article today that whistles past the graveyard on what's going on in pro sports, this one on Arizona Diamondbacks OF JD Martinez, who became the 18th player in history to hit four home runs in a game last night:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/j-d-martinezs-path-from-slap-hitter-to-four-homer-sensation/

From the article:


--- Quote ---Martinez began his career as a slap-hitting prospect for the Houston Astros — and to be charitable, he was not successful at it. Over his first three MLB seasons, Martinez had an adjusted on-base plus slugging that was 12 percent worse than average, accumulated negative 1.3 wins above replacement and hit for very little power, belting just 24 home runs in 252 games. By 2014, Martinez was struggling so much that Houston released him.
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---Early in his career, it would have been a pleasant surprise if Martinez had hit four home runs in a month. But after Martinez modified his approach, Monday’s accomplishment is just the latest signpost along his road to stardom. And with the red-hot Diamondbacks practically assured of making the playoffs, a national audience will have a chance to get acquainted with Martinez’s power stroke this fall.
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---Martinez isn’t the only recent player to go on an out-of-nowhere power spree — Jose Bautista, for instance, went from a light-hitting utility man early in his career to a fearsome, bat-flipping homer machine as he approached his 30s. Nor is Martinez the only exemplar of the fly-ball phenomenon sweeping across the game; from Daniel Murphy to Yonder Alonso, plenty of players have given their careers new life by way of an uppercut swing.
--- End quote ---

For the record, I'm not saying this particular player is crooked. I just think it's naive to say "uppercut swing!" and just assume that all of these guys are just late bloomers who fixed some hole in their swings.

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