Giants LHP Adalberto Mejia suspended 50 games

Earlier today the San Francisco Giants received a bit of bad news as their top left handed pitching prospect, Adalberto Mejia, was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2015 season for testing positive for a banned substance. Sibutramine which was sold under a variety of brand names including Reductil, Meridia, Siredia, and Sibutrex, is a stimulant that was briefly used to treat obesity.

The substance Mejia tested positive for was banned in the United States in 2010 after the FDA found it was associated with an increased chance for a stroke and heart problems.

Mejia was ranked as the 4th best prospect in the Giants system prior to the season by John, but he took a step backwards in his development in his first crack at AA. The 6'3, 195 pound southpaw posted a 7-9 record with a 4.67 ERA, 3.78 FIP and 1.39 WHIP through 108 innings for Richmond. He struck out nearly 18% of batters while surrendering a free pass 6.8% of the time. The opposition hit .283 against him with a .765 OPS and nine home runs.

The suspension definitely throws a wrench in the 21 year old's development for next year. He was on pace to try and tackle the PCL to start 2015 but it looks like he'll probably have a repeat season at AA Richmond once the suspension is lifted. Mejia will more than likely have to blow the doors off the Eastern League to get bumped to AAA Sacramento (the new Giants AAA affiliate) by the all-star break. John will have a more in depth take on him when he releases the San Francisco Giants Top 20 Prospects list in the upcoming weeks.