KC Royals: Raul Mondesi Suspended 50 Games
By Joel Wagler
Raul Mondesi, one of the top prospects for the Kansas City Royals, was suspended 50 games for a Performance Enhancing Drug violation.
The Kansas City Royals received some very unfortunate news today as it was announced that Raul Mondesi is suspended for 50 games for violating the game’s Performance Enhancing Drugs policy.
This suspension is terrible for any player but it is an especially bad one for a young player that can ill-afford to lose the developmental experience. The 20-year old was hitting just .250 at AA Northwest Arkansas, with a .304 On Base Percentage.
He was showing more power this season as he had five home runs and a Slugging Percentage of .462. He has struck out 28 times in 113 plate appearances, however.
Jeffrey Flannagan, who covers the Royals for MLB.com broke the news on Twitter.
Raul Mondesi Jr has been hit with 50-game suspension for performance enhancing drug #Royals
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) May 10, 2016
Flanagan went on to say that General Manager Dayton Moore and the KC Royals organization think this was an accident.
Dayton Moore said Mondesi tested positive through an "innocent mistake" #Royals
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) May 10, 2016
Bob Nightengale from USA Today reports that Mondesi tested positive for Clenbuterol but was able to prove the substance was in a cold medicine he had been taking that was purchased in the Dominican Republic. The original suspension of 80 games was then reduced to 50.
Raul Mondesi Jr of Royals tests positive for Clenbuterol; suspended 50 games. Reduced from 80G when proved substance was in cold medicine
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 10, 2016
According to Baseball AmericaI, Mondesi is the Royals’ top-ranked prospect. At his age, this will cost him valuable playing time in this developmental stage of his career.
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While Raul Mondesi is a top prospect, he does have a major flaw – he strikes out a lot! In his minor league career, he has 421 strikeouts in 1691 plate appearances. In fact, he has 43 more strikeouts than hits. That is not a good thing.
His career On Base Percentage of .294 in the minors should be a serious worry, even for an organization that loves to hack away like the Kansas City Royals. You have to wonder how much contact he will make on the major league level.
The cynics among us might point to the fact that Mondesi already has five home runs in early May, only three off his career high.
Maybe, you might think, PED’s had something to do with this. More likely is the fact he is getting a bit older and more physically developed. He is merely growing into his power.
If the story about the cold medicine is true, and the reduction in games suspended certainly seem to support this, then he was not really gaining an advantage for the new power. Rules are rules, though, and players must be aware of what is going into their bodies.
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This is extremely unfortunate news for the KC Royals and Raul Mondesi. This pushes back his true MLB arrival (he did get one At Bat in the World Series) deeper into the 2017 season, depending on circumstances.
He needs these games for his development, and this will certainly set him back, and that’s too bad for the Royals, who need some young talent in the worst way.