And as I understand it, the list of substances that they check for is still pretty small. They test for most of the well-known PEDs (diabonol, stanazolol) but not much more. Baseball's initial testing program was pathetic. Players were given some advanced notice of testing, and would not be tested more than once a year (therefore, once you were tested, you could juice to your heart's content the rest of the season). They weren't testing for designer steroids like the Cream and the Clear (BALCO's specialties) which means that a lot of players tested clean although they were still juicing. There was a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that stated that if 5% of major leaguers tested positive, a different and tougher testing phase would begin.
In spite of how easy it was to get around the testing program that MLB put in place, SEVEN PERCENT of major league players (104!) tested positive and triggered the second phase. The second phase wasn't much tougher than the first, and only pressure from Congress got them to at least add penalties with teeth. Previously a player would not be suspended until a second positive test, and then only for 10 games(!!!). Now, a player is suspended for 50 games for a failed test, 100 games (or 150?) for a second failed test after they return, and a lifetime ban if they fail a third test. Even so, baseball doesn't test for HGH and a lot of PEDs. The media and MLB try to act as if the 104 players who failed the incredibly easy-to-beat tests are the only ones using. But anyone would understand that the fact that so many players failed indicates that usage rates are extremely high.
I remember that former player Ken Caminiti once claimed that as many as 50% of major league players used PEDs. He was easy to dismiss as his drug use* led to the end of his big league career (and eventually his life). When Yankees pitcher David Wells made a similar claim in his book, the backlash was so severe that he insisted that the figure quoted in the book was a mistake and that the real totals were much lower. I get the feeling that the 50% number is close to the truth, and honestly would not be surprised if it was higher.
*Just to clarify, it wasn't steroids that led to Caminiti's downfall, but more common illegal drugs. I don't recall if it was heroin or crack, I think it was heroin.
