Teenage Steroids

Interesting article on an 18-year old Rangers prospect Matt West who funked a steroids test.

What I found most interesting was the fact that West was signed with a $400,000 bonus out of high school. After taxes - that $400,000 is probably equal to just about the amount of a 4-year full boat scholarship to a major Division 1 university (when you add in all the perks). You have to wonder how many 18-year olders are taking steroids to secure an athletic scholarship. I don't think the NCAA does a whole lot of testing so that number may very well be very high. I don't judge because I'm not sure if knowing what I know now that I wouldn't have juiced in high school if a full boat scholarship was on the line.

Don't be surprised if you start seeing more and more prospects turning down the MLB signing bonus to go to college on a full boat. If you see this trend starting - don't be misled to thinking that it has anything to do with "scholarship" because it may have much more to do with "testing" (and not in the academic sense).