We Should Talk About and PEDs in MLB

I didn’t really want to write this article, and I didn't really feel like I needed to…until recently. What happened recently was that Max Kepler and Jurickson Profar were suspended for using Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). I also touched on some steroid users in my article detailing my Hall of Fame ballot and promised that I would write an entire article just on MLB PEDs. So…here it is.

I will start off this article by stating that I am totally against cheating and any kind of PED. Obviously, that is where basically everybody stands, but I thought It would be good to get that out of the way first.

I just find it crazy that players are willing to risk throwing away their careers for a chance at a big free agent contract. They are even putting more on the line than their careers. They are putting their reputation as a player at stake. After it is announced that a player was using steroids or anything else, that player is never looked at the same. This is a little different, but think about the Astros cheating in 2017. Many fans still haven’t forgiven those players to this day. If you want an example specifically concerning PEDs. Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres was suspended by MLB for using steroids and fans (including Padres fans) still label him as a cheater and hold a grudge against him. It's cheating and a very bad look for not only the players doing it but for MLB in general.

Not only did Max Kepler use PEDs, but he had a terrible year. In fact, It might’ve been his worst season in his entire career. I don’t insult any players’ talent in these articles, but If you literally cheat in baseball and have the worst season of your life, I think it's fair game. To properly appreciate how bad Max Kepler was in 2025, we have to discard the 2015 season where he played 3 games. I don’t believe 3 games in a big enough sample size to justify any of the stats I’m about to read, so when I read off a stat and add that it was his worst in all his career, I’m disregarding his 2015 season. With that said, let's get into it. He had a 0.1 career WAR, which was the worst of his career. Kepler tied his career low in terms when he hit 0 3Bs. He also had a career worst .300 OBP, as well as an OPS+ of 88 which is also the worst season he’s had in terms of that stat. His rOBA also came in at a career low with just a .303 rOBA. This is the same for his Rbat+ with him recording an 88 in that category. Lastly, he grounded into the most double plays in his entire playing career.

My only issue is that I wish MLB did more tests in the offseason. I get that it's all random and stuff, but we can’t have these things slipping through the cracks. MLB can even test players for PEDs during the All-Star break just to limit and discourage this kind of stuff.

The point I’m trying to make is that first of all, taking PEDs is straight up cheating and players are getting banned for it. Second of all, its not worth the risk at all. You probably will get caught eventually. And third of all, there’s no real guarantee you will even have a good season. Sure, it won’t hurt, but there’s a real chance it doesn’t even help, and there’s also a good chance you will be suspended.

Thanks for reading!