Failed Astros prospect now slapped with 100-game suspension
Two prospects in the farm system of the world-champion Houston Astrosn have received heavy suspensions from Major League Baseball for using illegal substances
Jon Singleton, 26, a once highly touted prospect, received a 100-game suspension without pay Tuesday for testing positive for what MLB described as “a drug of abuse.”
Singleton has said in the past he is a frequent user of marijuana.
In 2014, Singleton said in an interview with ESPN that he was a drug addict.
“At this point, it’s pretty evident to me that I’m a drug addict,” Singleton said. “I don’t openly tell everyone that, but it’s pretty apparent to myself. I know that I enjoy smoking weed, I enjoy being high, and I can’t block that out of my mind that I enjoy that. So I have to work against that.”
This is Singleton’s third offense. He was suspended for 50 games in 2013 after failing a test for a second time.
Jon Singleton losing $1.3M for smoking marijuana in the off-season (if that is still his "drug of abuse") is… unfortunate. Gotta know you can be tested at any time, but still.
— Mike Mitchell (@MikeMitchNH) January 24, 2018
The Astos had high hopes for Singleton when they acquired him from the Phillies in a 2011 trade that sent Hunter Pence to Philadelphia.
Houston was so sure that Singleton was its first baseman of the future that it signed the slugger to a five-year, $10 million contract in 2014. He was recalled to the big leagues that year and hit a home run in his first at-bat.
But he failed to meet expectations. In 95 games that season with the Astros, he hit just .168 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs.
Singleton was given another shot in 2015, but appeared in just 19 games, hitting .191 with one home run and six RBIs. He was demoted to the minors and has not been back in the majors since.
Last year at Double-A Corpus Christi, Singleton hit .205 with 18 homers in 117 games.
Meanwhile, Astros pitching prospect Dean Deetz was also hit with an 80-game suspension without pay for testing positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a performance-enhancing drug.
The now-suspended Dean Deetz ranked 22nd on our soon-to-be-released Astros Top 30 in the Prospect Handbook thanks to his fastball jumping up to 95-98 and an impressive slider. Had been added to the team's 40-man roster.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) January 23, 2018
Deetz, 24, is the 22nd ranked prospect in the Astros farm system. He began last year at Corpus Christi, but was promoted to Triple-A Fresno during the year, where he went 3-4 with a 6.40 ERA.
This offseason Deetz was added on the Astros 40-man roster, but now he will have to wait until June or July to get his chance.
He denies knowingly taking any PEDs.
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