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Brooks, Alexander, Anderson suspended

Former first-round pick Gonzales banned for 100 more games
January 30, 2015

Brewers lefty Tyler Alexander, Giants right-hander Dylan Brooks, Orioles third baseman Austin Anderson and former Blue Jays first-round pick Tyler Gonzales were suspended on Friday for violating the Minor League drug program.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball said Alexander and Brooks received 50-game suspensions without pay following their second positive tests for a drug of abuse, while Anderson was banned 50 games without pay after testing positive for an amphetamine, a stimulant.

Gonzales, a free agent who was released by Philadelphia on Wednesday, was handed a 100-game suspension for refusing to take a drug test.

Anderson and Brooks will begin serving their suspensions on Opening Day, Alexander's ban begins in June at the start of short-season, and Gonzales will need to sit once he signs with another Major League club.

Alexander, 23, was the Brewers' 23rd-round pick in 2013 out of Florida International and is 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 96 2/3 innings over 39 games, including 11 starts, since he debuted in 2013. He spent last season with Class A Wisconsin and the Brewers' Rookie-level Arizona League affiliate, finishing 5-6 with a 4.78 ERA in 26 outings.

Anderson, a 22-year-old infielder, was selected by Baltimore in the ninth-round of the 2014 Draft out of Mississippi and saw action in 49 games last summer with Class A Short Season Aberdeen. The New York-Penn League All-Star hit .307 with a homer, 19 RBIs, a pair of stolen bases and a .354 on-base percentage for the IronBirds.

Brooks, 19, was the Giants' 30th-round pick in 2013 out of Lord Dorchester High School in Canada. He's 2-1 with a 3.70 ERA in 41 1/3 career innings since debuting with the Arizona League Giants two years ago. The 6-foot-7 reliever appeared in 18 games last summer in the AZL, going 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 34 frames.

Gonzales, 22, was Toronto's Compensation A-round selection in the 2012 Draft out of James Madison High School in Texas. He appeared in 18 games with Rookie-level Bluefield from 2012-13, going 2-2 with a 9.24 ERA in 25 1/3 innings, before missing the entire 2014 season. The 6-foot-2 righty was released by the Blue Jays last July before the Commissioner's Office suspended him for 50 games on Sept. 11, 2014 for his second positive test for a drug of abuse. The Phillies signed him on Nov. 26, 2014 and assigned him to Class A Lakewood, but he was released by Philadelphia on Jan. 28 and now faces a combined 150-game penalty.

Players are typically issued a warning following a first positive test for a drug of abuse and a suspension for a second offense. Substances considered "drugs of abuse" by Major League Baseball include cocaine, marijuana, heroin, LSD, ecstasy and other opiates. Minor Leaguers who test positive for a performance-enhancing substance are subjected to an immediate 50-game suspension. Amphetamines are considered performance-enhancing, and players can also be penalized for refusing to take a test.

The Commissioner's Office has suspended 26 players in 2015 for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, including 13 in the past week.

Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.