Which Teams Have Had The Most Steroid/HGH Users?

To the best of our knowledge (actually, this site’s knowledge), 56 Major League baseball players have been known (or highly suspected) to have taken steroids or HGH, either by positive tests, their own admission or others’ implication. But which teams have been at the center of the steroid maelstrom?

To answer that question, we’ve put together the first-ever Steroid Standings. We merely took the team of the player in question and tallied the results. However, it only counts if the incident occurred while the player was on the team. For example, Jason Giambi admitted (in the leaked grand jury testimony) to have used a myriad of BALCO boosters while a member of the Oakland A’s, so he counts to Oakland’s total, not the Yankees’. Conversely, Juan Gonzalez was implicated twice, once while a Ranger and then as an Indian; he counts for both.

Again, the players in question are merely a result of what’s been in the media and not meant to imply guilt. Some of the implicated users are from the Grimsley case and BALCO case, while others are from Jose Canseco’s book (which obviously should be taken with several grains of salt). An asterisk (*) signifies a positive drug test and a double asterisk (**) signifies an admitted user. Here are the Steroid Standings:

• Baltimore Orioles, 7: Rafael Palmeiro*, Jason Grimsley, David Segui**, Miguel Tejada, Jerry Hairston, Brian Roberts, Jay Gibbons
• Oakland A’s, 6: Jason Giambi**, Jeremy Giambi**, Jose Canseco**, Mark McGwire, Ozzie Canseco, Randy Velarde
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6: Wilson Alvarez, Dave Martinez, John Rocker**, Tony Saunders, Alex Sanchez*, Juan Salas*
• Texas Rangers, 5: Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Canseco, Gary Matthews Jr, Carlos Almanzar*
• San Francisco Giants, 5: Barry Bonds**, Bobby Estalella**, Armando Rios**, Benito Santiago**, Marvin Benard
• New York Yankees, 4: Gary Sheffield**, Jim Leyritz**, Roger Clemens, Matt Lawton*
• Seattle Mariners, 4: Bret Boone, Jamal Strong*, Ryan Franklin*, Mike Morse*
• New York Mets, 4: Yusaku Iriki*, Guillermo Mota*, Felix Heredia*, Lenny Dykstra

Obviously, the numbers are skewed based on where the steroid busts/implications have been, so teams with the BALCO guys (Giants), the Grimsley guys (Orioles) and Canseco (A’s, Rangers) have inflated stats. The Mets and Mariners have had the most positive tests though. Food for thought.

List of Steroid & hGH Users in Baseball [Baseball's Steroid Era]