Chicago Cubs catcher Taylor Teagarden accused of PED use
By Paul Steeno
A recent undercover documentary linked Chicago Cubs catcher Taylor Teagarden to performance-enhancing drug use.
A recent Al Jazeera television network documentary revealed that several professional athletes including Chicago Cubs catcher Taylor Teagarden received performance-enhancing drugs from an Indiana-based anti-aging clinic called the Guyer Institute.
British hurdler Liam Collins conducted the undercover investigation and obtained incriminating evidence from a former pharmacy intern at the Guyer Institute named Charlie Sly.
The report also cited Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman as PED users. Sly claimed that he sold Howard and Zimmerman Delta-2 supplements which they used to evade MLB drug tests. He also posits that his clinic delivered human growth hormone (HGH) to Peyton Manning’s house in 2011.
Various sources have questioned the validity of the report over the last couple of days as most of the athletes involved have denied wrongdoing. Additionally, Sly recently recanted the majority of his initial story, saying that he was “trying to pull one over on Collins[undercover reporter] to see if he had any idea of what he was talking about.”
Despite the validity issues with the report, an incriminating video clip in the documentary will make it difficult for Taylor Teagarden to prove his innocence. In a conversation with Collins, Teagarden admits to using PEDs.
"I used it last year, I was very..I was scared to be honest with you,” Teagarden said. “I took it for like two weeks and I had a test four weeks after my last administration of it. Nothing happened…And I was also taking peptides too but they were all urine tests, no blood tests…Once a year, maybe twice at most. —-Quote obtained by MLB Trade Rumors writer Mark Polishuk"
In early July, the Chicago Cubs called-up Taylor Teagarden from Triple-A Iowa after the team placed backup catcher David Ross on the seven-day disabled list after the 38-year-old catcher suffered a concussion.
In eight games, Teagarden slashed .200/.200/.200 with three hits in 15 at-bats. On July 22, he hit what would end up being a game-winning single against hard-throwing Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman.
In eight Major League seasons, Teagarden slashed .202/.260/.376. He has played for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. Last season with the Cubs Triple-A affiliate Iowa Cubs, he slashed .305/.379/.452.
Taylor Teagarden’s alleged PED use isn’t a good look for the Chicago Cubs. However, his cheating doesn’t take away from what the team did last season nor what they do in the future.
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Naturally, people are going to try to use these allegations as ammunition to discredit the Cubs accomplishments last season. This is a weak argument.
Teagarden had three total hits in his time with the Chicago Cubs. He did hit a game-winner against Cincinnati, but if you take away that win (this also assumes that the Cubs couldn’t have won this game without Teagarden’s hit which is questionable) the Cubs still win 96 games and easily make the playoffs. Teagarden’s last game was on July 26: he didn’t have an impact on the Cubs late-season run and success in the playoffs.
Furthermore, according to advanced statistics courtesy of baseball reference, he had a -0.2 WAR and accounted for one less offensive run than a hypothetical replacement player.
What do these statistics mean? He was a below average player in his stint with the Cubs and the team would have been better served to find a more effective player to replace David Ross when he went down with injury.
It is pretty easy to figure out why Teagarden decided to use PEDs. The 32-year-old catcher struggled in the Majors when given opportunities and in the past couple years had spent more time in the minor leagues than in the Majors. He realized that his window of opportunity was rapidly declining as his age continued to rise and decided that PEDs would give him the edge he needed to finally permanently make it back to a Major League team.
If found guilty, Teagarden would face an 80 game ban that remains the standard for first-time offenders. This would further curtail his already slim chances of making it back to the Majors, either with the Chicago Cubs organization or another team.
Current starter Miguel Montero’s contract runs through the 2017 season while backup David Ross remains valuable because of his leadership qualities and pitch framing abilities.
The Cubs haven’t completely abandoned the Kyle Schwarber catcher experiment either. The team also has two catching prospects that MLB.com ranked among the team’s top-30 overall minor league players of 2015. Victor Caratini remains in low Single-A ball but 23-year-old Willson Contreras slashed .333/.413/.478 at Double-A Tennessee last season and could be the Cubs long-term answer at catcher for the future.
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The Cubs have a litany of catching talent that do things the right way and don’t cheat. They obviously don’t need Teagarden to win, especially if he is proven as a cheater.