The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that three Minor League players have received suspensions for their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Jonathan Weber, a retired player, has been suspended for 100 games following his third positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Weber will be effective immediately upon his return to Major League Baseball.

Guido Gomez, a free agent pitcher, has received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Gomez will be effective upon signing with a Major League organization.

Wilmer Colmenarez, a Minor League pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, has received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for metabolites of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Colmenarez, a member of the organization’s Dominican Summer League team, is effective immediately.

This year, including the off-season, there have been 46 minor league players suspended a total of 2,450 games for being in violation of the minor league drug policy.

See the complete history of drug suspensions in Minor and Major League Baseball

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The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that four Minor League players have been suspended following their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Washington Nationals Minor League outfielder J.R. Higley and shortstop Steven Souza have each received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for Methylphenidate and Ritalinic Acid, performanceenhancing substances in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspensions of Higley and Souza, who are currently on the roster of the club’s Single-A Hagerstown Suns, are effective immediately.

Free agent outfielder Joshua Flores has been suspended 50 games after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Free agent shortstop Manuel Marquez has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for metabolites of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspensions of Flores and Marquez are effective upon their signing with a Major League organization.

This year, including the off-season, there have been 43 minor league players suspended a total of 2,250 games for being in violation of the minor league drug policy.

See the complete history of drug suspensions in Minor and Major League Baseball

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that five Minor League players have received 50-game suspensions after each tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program:

• New York Yankees Minor League pitchers Daury Aquino and Alexander de los Santos each tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.
• Tampa Bay Rays Minor League catcher Jhancarlos Infante tested positive for a metabolite of Boldenone.
• Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League pitcher Joel Matos tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.
• Kansas City Royals Minor League pitcher Freddy Rodriguez tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.

The suspensions of the five players, all of whom are on the rosters of their organization’s Dominican Summer League team, are effective immediately.

This year, including the off-season, there have been 39 minor league players suspended a total of 2,050 games for being in violation of the minor league drug policy.

See the complete history of drug suspensions in Minor and Major League Baseball

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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Minor League Baseball clubs attracted nearly 7.9 million fans last month, raising the industry’s season total to 21,453,678 through June.  This season’s total figure represents an increase of 943,704 fans over last year’s total, entering July.

“Minor League Baseball’s increase in year-to-date attendance is significant, given the fact our country continues to battle a sluggish economy and mixed messages about its recovery,” said Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner.  “Through it all, our teams and our fans continue to enjoy America’s Pastime in impressive numbers.  The attendance through the end of June confirms the real value of our product in the eyes of our fans.”

Eleven of the 15 leagues experienced increases at the gate through last month, compared to 2009.  The 176 clubs that charge admission averaged 3,963 fans a game in 5,413 openings through June.

Source: MiLB

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Minor League Baseball announced this week that 72 clubs will participate in the "Stars & Stripes" cap program during the Independence Day holiday weekend. All 30 AAA affiliates are among the teams participating in the program that raises money for Welcome Back Veterans, a program which addresses the needs of returning American Veterans and their families through the sale of the specially designed caps.

Clubs based in the United States will have the stars and stripes of the American flag in place of the standard coloring of their logo on their caps. In the case of the Vancouver Canadians a Maple Leaf pattern will be substituted to celebrate Canada Day which was July 1st.

The "Stars & Stripes" cap program has become an annual tradition in Major League Baseball with the players of all thirty clubs doffing off their traditional caps for games played on Memorial Day, Independence Day and on September 11th. All royalties from the sale of these caps both online and at the participating club's ballparks will be donated to the Welcome Back Veterans charity.

The following Minor League Baseball clubs are scheduled to take part in the “Stars & Stripes” program:
Albuquerque Isotopes, Beloit Snappers, Binghamton Mets, Bowie Baysx, Bowling Green Hot Rods, Bradenton Marauders, Brooklyn Cyclones, Buffalo Bisons, Burlington Royals, Carolina Mudcats, Charleston RiverDogs, Charlotte Knights, Chattanooga Lookouts, Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Columbus Clippers, Danville Braves, Dayton Dragons, Delmarva Shorebirds, Durham Bulls, Eugene Emeralds, Everett AquaSox, Frederick Keys, Fresno Grizzlies, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Greeneville Astros, Greenville Drive, Gwinnett Braves, High Desert Mavericks, Idaho Falls Chukars, Indianapolis Indians, Iowa Cubs, Jamestown Jammers, Lakewood BlueClaws, Las Vegas 51s, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Lexington Legends, Louisville Bats, Lynchburg Hillcats, Memphis Redbirds, Mississippi Braves, Nashville Sounds, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, New Orleans Zephyrs, Norfolk Tides, Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Oklahoma City RedHawks, Omaha Royals, Pawtucket Red Sox, Portland Beavers, Portland Sea Dogs, Quad Cities River Bandits, Reno Aces, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Rochester Red Wings, Rome Braves, Round Rock Express, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, San Jose Giants, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Syracuse Chiefs, Tacoma Rainiers, Tampa Yankees, Tennessee Smokies, Toledo Mud Hens, Trenton Thunder, Tri-City ValleyCats, Tulsa Drillers, Vancouver Canadians, West Michigan Whitecaps, Wilmington Blue Rocks and Williamsport Crosscutters.

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The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that New York Yankees Minor League pitcher Amauri Sanit has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for Mephentermine, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Sanit, a Cuban defector, has gone 1-2 with an 8.69 ERA over 12 games.

The suspension of Sanit, who is currently on the roster of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the International League, is effective immediately.

This year, including the off-season, there have been 28 minor league players suspended a total of 1,500 games for being in violation of the minor league drug policy, including 5 players in the past 8 days. 

See the complete history of drug suspensions in Minor and Major League Baseball

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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The Milwaukee Brewers announced today a two-year player development contract extension with the Brevard County Manatees of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League through the 2012 season.

“We are pleased to extend our working relationship with the Brevard County Manatees and their management team,” said Brewers Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin. “Brevard County has provided the important resources and environment needed to develop and prepare our young players for future success in the organization and the relationship continues to work well for our needs.”

The Manatees are owned and operated by Central Florida Baseball Group, LLC.

“We are excited for the opportunity to continue our relationship with the Brewers, who are a class act top to bottom,” Central Florida Baseball Group Chairman Dr. Tom Winters said.

The Manatees, located in Viera, Fla., have been a Brewers affiliate since the 2005 season. They play their home games at Space Coast Stadium.

“We are very excited to extend our player development contract with the Milwaukee Brewers,” stated Brevard County Manatees General Manager Kyle Smith. “We are glad to be able to continue grooming the young talent in the Brewers organization and also providing professional baseball to Brevard County.”

Source: Milwaukee Brewers

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Minor League Baseball fans attended games in near record numbers through April, as 5,971,139 patrons accounted for the second highest total through the first month of domestic league play in history. The total through last month is second only to the 6,665,662 fans through April 2008, when Minor League Baseball set its attendance record of over 43.2 million.

The 136 full-season clubs, which includes the 16-team Mexican League that began play in March, averaged 3,818 fans a game in 1,564 openings through last month. The average crowd is up 1.5%, or 57 fans, over last year’s gatherings through April.

“We’re very encouraged by the April attendance numbers,” said Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner. “I think these numbers indicate our fans are eager to enjoy Minor League Baseball in 2010. It also indicates favorable weather, especially in the Northeast corridor, which has been burdened in years past with bad weather to start the season.”

Six of the 11 leagues experienced larger average crowds than they did through April 2009, led by the Carolina League at 21.5% per opening. The Texas (12.5), Eastern (8.1), Mexican (5.1), Midwest (5.1) and Southern (3.5) circuits also showed improvement over last year.

Source: Minor League Baseball

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The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that two Minor League players have been suspended following their violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Minor League free agent outfielder Benjamin Harrison has received a 100-game suspension for his violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, including the purchase and the use of amphetamines. The suspension of Harrison, who was most recently a member of the Florida Marlins organization, will be effective immediately upon his signing with another Major League organization.

According to sources, Harrison's 100 game suspension was based on a non-analytical positive (the purchase of amphetamines), and then tested positive multiple times for amphetamines, hence the 100 game suspension.

Philadelphia Phillies Minor League shortstop Fidel Hernandez has received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Hernandez, who is currently on the roster of Single-A Clearwater of the Florida State League, is effective immediately.

To date, there have been 22 minor league drug suspenions, including off-season testing for a total of 1200 games.

See the complete history of drug suspensions in Minor and Major League Baseball

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League outfielder Andrew Lambo has received a 50-game suspension after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

In 19 games and 76 ABs, Lambo was hitting .342 with 13 RBIs, 2 HRs, and a .956 OPS.

The Dodgers released a statement shortly after the announcement of Lambo's suspension saying, “The Dodgers are disappointed to learn of this news and we fully support Major League Baseball’s drug policy and its penalties. The organization does not condone the use of any substance not sanctioned by MLB’s medical staff.”

The suspension of Lambo, who is currently on the roster of the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League, is effective immediately.

To date, there have been 20 minor league drug suspenions, including off-season testing for a total of 1050 games.

See the complete history of drug suspensions in Minor and Major League Baseball

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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