Hoosier Gazette Exclusive: Indiana
Minor league baseball player denies using steroids
By Biff Stevens, THG Sports Editor
In an exclusive
interview with HoosierGazette.com this week, Minor League baseball player Barry
Peplowski announced that he has never taken performance enhancing steroids.
Rumors
circulated that Peplowski was on the “juice” after he reported to the Arizona
Diamondbacks minor league spring training camp in Tucson, Arizona. Barry, a
middle infielder who will be assigned to the Class A South Bend Silver Hawks,
has drastically increased his mass and weight from last year. Silver Hawks
manager Von Hayes: “He doesn’t look like the same person.”
Peplowski
played in South Bend last year. He was a middle infielder who had an anemic .207
batting average while driving in 28 runs. Peplowski only hit two home runs the
entire 2003 season. His was not a career that looked like it was progressing
very far.
Then spring
2004 arrived. Peplowski reported to camp last year weighing 165 pounds. Now
he’s tipping the scales at a staggering 276. “I just hit the gym real hard this
winter,” Barry said. Steroid rumors began to circulate quickly, especially once
it was revealed that Peplowski spent the off-season in San Francisco.
San Francisco is home of the same BALCO labs that recently have been the subject
of a federal investigation pertaining to illegal steroid use.
Peplowski, a
native of Toledo, Ohio,
defended his choice of off-season training location. “The weather was nice and
I felt a good vibe in California.
Before any other rumors get started, I’m not gay—you can print that.”
Peplowski’s new
physique and hitting prowess has been a major surprise to the Diamondback
organization. He was drafted in the 38th round out of the University of Toledo in 2001. Peplowski was regarded as a no-hit,
all-glove prospect. He only managed 3 home runs in his entire college career.
Now, Peplowski has taken the club by storm. In his first day of batting
practice, he launched several tape measure shots that were estimated at 550
feet. “That just shows what hard work in the gym and good genetics will get
you,” Peplowski commented.
The
Diamondbacks and Silver Hawks are at a loss on what to do with him. His once
“gold glove” has greatly diminished. With his added muscle mass, Peplowski can
no longer go deep in the hole for groundballs. Mike Rizzo, director of scouting
for Arizona, said, “Quite frankly, he can’t even move he’s so stiff.”
Bob Brenly,
Diamondbacks manager, said on the other hand he is greatly impressed with the
new power Peplowski has discovered. “Through his off-season program, he’s
turned himself from a minor league nobody to a top flight prospect. I’m not sure
we can use him, though.”
Because of his
Jose Canseco-like game (all hit, no place to hide him in the field), the
Diamondbacks are shopping Peplowski to interested American League teams. “His
future is definitely in the big leagues, but he needs to be a DH. If he doesn’t
hit a home run, there is a real possibility he would get thrown out at first
from the outfield because he can’t move,” Brenly said.
Managers,
Brenly and Hayes, when questioned on allegations of illegal steroid use, both
replied with a “no comment.” Bud Selig, commissioner of major league baseball,
has instituted a gag order on teams to keep quiet on the steroid subject this
spring.
For now,
Peplowski appears headed to opening day, April 8th, with the South
Bend Silver Hawks. Team officials seem ecstatic with the possibility of a new,
improved Peplowski returning for a second year with the Midwest League team.
Speaking anonymously, a source close to the Silver Hawk front office said,
“Management couldn’t be happier. Sure, there will be controversy, but the long
ball is what sells tickets. The long ball is what Barry is all about.”
Others in South
Bend are skeptical. Mike Gomez of Elkhart, a Silver Hawk season ticket holder,
is not amused. “What kind of message does this send to children? That if
you’re not good enough athletically, you need to take steroids? Come on now.”
Some see it has
a good thing. “Maybe Peplowski can make his way over to campus and show the
Notre Dame football team how to train. Obviously, the last few years, we’ve
been a little short on beef,” said Fighting Irish and Silver Hawk season ticket
holder Greg McMurtry.
“If you’re
successful, people always think you took a short cut,” Peplowski replied to his
critics. “I knew I either had to get in the gym or start looking for a real
job. Who would want to do that?”
Because of
Major League Baseball steroid testing policy, there is a distinct possibility
Peplowski will not even have to submit to a drug test this year. The tests are
distributed at random. Bob DuPuy, Chief Operating Officer for MLB, sees no
reason to test Peplowski. “I think it’s a little premature to speculate whether
particular minor-league players have used anabolic steroids. Hard work in the
gym should not automatically be associated with performance enhancing steroids.”
It should make
for an interesting season of baseball in South Bend, to say the least.
Swoop, the
team mascot, on Peplowski:
“Something’s rotten in
Denmark.”
