Adrian Nieto, a switch-hitting catcher that played for Single-A Hagerstown last season, has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for orxandrolone and metabolite, two performance-enhancing drugs that are not legal in baseball, according to a MLB press release. The news was first reported by Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington.
Nieto, a 2008 fifth-round pick, will serve his suspension at the beginning of the 2011 season. Orxandrolone is a substance taken to gain weight, while metabolite was described as merely a performance-enhancing substance.
Nieto has not had a very good career since being picked in 2008. A 20-year old who left Cuba for the United State, Nieto hit just .195 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 60 games for Hagerstown last season. For his 110-game minor league career, he is hitting just .210.