Padron Hit With 50-Game Suspension

Oakland A's minor league catching prospect Raul Padron was hit with a 50-game suspension after testing positive under minor league baseball's performance-enhancing drug testing program. The suspension will go into effect next season.

Raul Padron, a left-handed hitting catcher in the Oakland A's chain, was hit with a 50-game suspension on Monday after it was announced that he had tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance under the minor league baseball testing program.

Padron, who is currently competing for the Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League, was coming off of a strong performance at the Arizona Fall League. He was a late-entry into the AFL after fellow A's catching prospect Anthony Recker had to miss the AFL season with a broken hamate bone. Padron appeared in 18 games at the AFL for the Phoenix Desert Dogs and hit .320 with an 864 OPS. He is three-for-seven in limited action with Caracas this winter.

Padron spent the entire 2007 regular season with the High-A Stockton Ports, where he hit .223 with 13 homers and 52 RBI. Padron established a career-high with his 13 homers. He also had a career-high 25 doubles. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 out of Venezuela, Padron is a career .250 hitter in 348 minor league games. The 23-year-old was a Midwest League All-Star in 2005.