Mets Outfielder Jordany Valdespin Suspended 50 Games By MLB
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Not the man right now!
Mets outfielder Jordany Valdespin has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for his ties to the Biogenesis of America clinic.
Valdespin will accept the 50-game ban without an appeal.
The controversial 25-year-old with a flair for the dramatic was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 13. After starting out the season well as a pinch-hitter, he fell off when he got the opportunity to start on a more consistent basis. In his second year in the big leagues, he ended up batting .188 with four home runs, 16 RBIs and a .250 on-base percentage.
After being sent down, however, he thrived in Las Vegas, batting .466 (27-for-58) with three homers, 24 RBIs, four doubles and two triples. He also had a .537 on-base percentage in 16 games.
JV1 was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2013, prior to his suspension. He admired a home run that he hit on May 10 against the Pirates, and then was hit by a pitch in retaliation the next day.
No Mets pitchers retaliated back, nor did Valdespin's teammates get off the dugout steps to defend their teammate.
"I'm not telling you he's the most popular guy in the clubhouse," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told WFAN host Mike Francesa on May 14. "That would be misleading."
Then, when Valdespin was sent down to the minors in July, he reportedly confronted manager Terry Collins and cursed him out.
It didn't end there.
Valdespin recently showboated following a homer yet again while playing for Las Vegas, The incident led to a benches-clearing brawl, and the outfielder was subsequently suspended for three games.
Mets minor leaguer Cesar Puello also accepted a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the performance-enhancing drug scandal.
Puello is on the Mets' 40-man roster. The 22-year-old outfielder had been tremendous for Double-A Binghamton in 2013, batting .328 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs and 21 doubles in 90 games. He also stole 24 bases, scored 63 runs and posted a .405 on-base percentage.
"We have and continue to support Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Testing program," the Mets said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
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