isn't it likely ortiz was a steroid user?

[pearljammer10]

2 theories....1) he stopped juicing

2) After his wrist surgery he has never hit the ball the same way. Lost a little bat speed, the wrist changes his swings, hasnt been able to recover.


Every Ortiz supporter wants to believe theory 2. Me? Im with theory one.

[bstnsportsfan3]

im almost 100% sure its his wrist...i dont know if he is still injured and not saying or what but i dont think he juiced. he can no longer get around on a fastball and i dont think you lose that ability by stoping steriods but i do think you can lose that if your still injured...its either injury or mental becuase they say he is crushing the ball in batting pratice...who knows.

[JBcat]

im almost 100% sure its his wrist...i dont know if he is still injured and not saying or what but i dont think he juiced. he can no longer get around on a fastball and i dont think you lose that ability by stoping steriods but i do think you can lose that if your still injured...its either injury or mental becuase they say he is crushing the ball in batting pratice...who knows.

Very good point..  There has been mention of him crushing the ball in batting practice and he did have a few HRs in spring training.  He is at least hitting a fair amount of doubles with 13 the same as Youk and Bay and on pace for about 40 this year.   I don't know I think it might be too early to right him off.  He hasn't had 200 at bats yet this year.  I'm willing to bet he comes out of this ok. 

[SSFan V]

David Roid-tease?

[slamdunk]

Don't you have to have some actual proof when you throw out an allegation like that?

And David Ortiz' four biggest home run seasons happened after baseball started testing for steroids. How do you explain that?

[Eja117]

Don't you have to have some actual proof when you throw out an allegation like that?

And David Ortiz' four biggest home run seasons happened after baseball started testing for steroids. How do you explain that?

HGH that there's no test for.

[Eja117]

To simplify things a bit, Ortiz stunk in Minnesota. But when he came to Boston, he had a three year period where he was a very good player, which was most likely due to the juice.

I don't know.  Steroids almost certainly give a player more power, but they don't give him the ability to hit the ball.  It's not like Ortiz has had a ton of fly balls that have died on the warning track this year.

Also, I have a general question, not necessarily about Ortiz.  After a player stops using steroids, how long does it take for him to return to his pre-steroid level?  I would imagine that a lot of the muscle gains made by using steroids can be sustained long after somebody quits using.  Why do players -- at least in theory -- have a sudden fall off?  Is it only due to the healing effects of steroids?

I would say one reason might be mental.

Another is that it is the fact that it's a hormone. In theory you get a certain adrenaline rush.
I think maybe an anaology could be Latimore from the movie the Program.
I would guess that perhaps you get somewhat dependent and then without it dropp off, then recover. I would point to Giambi.
I can remember when I used a lot of stuff like caffeen or whatever that when I didn't use even for a day sometimes I felt groggy

[Jon]

I don't know if Big Papi used steroids.  I'd like to think that he didn't, since he's arguably the most fabled player in Sox history (who else nearly single handedly turned a potential Yankees sweep into the first World Series in 86 years?).  However, whether he used PED or not, I don't think his recent woes are due to steroids.  It'd be one thing if we looked at Brady Anderson's freak season where he hit 50 homeruns and never came close to that again; however, it's quite another when he goes into this huge slump.  While steroid withdrawal should hurt Papi's power numbers, it shouldn't be hurting his average like this.  

I really think his current woes are psychological.  I think he came in so eager to prove that last season's injury problems were behind him, that he tried too hard and kept digging himself into a deeper and deeper slump.

However, it looks like things might be turning around for him.  I hope so.  If he starts hitting like he used to, this very good line up becomes great.  Pair that with a pitching staff getting even better with the return of Smoltz, and I'd say it's likely that come October, the Sox may once again be World Champions.  

[Junkyard Dawg]

its ridiculous to say Papi definitely used or definitely didn't... people need to remember that most of the guys who test positive for this stuff are career journeymen and borderline minor leaguers.. long relief pitchers, guys who have never hit more than 10 home runs or stolen 10 bases, career bench guys.  In defense of Ortiz, i'll point 2 things out:

1) ortiz was 27 when he came to Boston, and anyone who plays fantasy knows this is that "magical age" when guys who have always had potential start producing.

2)  when ortiz first went down with the wrist injury, broadcasters and journalists were even then talking about how hard it is to come back from that kind of injury.  i know somebody mentioned derek lee, i know there were a number of others too..

having said that, nobody these days is above the cloud of suspicion.  i think people need to just accept the times we live in for what they are; like others have said, it's not just the hitters who are juicing, its the pitchers they face as well.