COLUMBUS, Ohio _ With less than two weeks remaining in his 80-game steroid suspension, Starling Marte is aware there still are unanswered questions. Will Marte be the player he was the past five seasons? What was the true cost of half a season spent on the restricted list, unpaid and useless to the Pirates? Has he learned from the suspension? Will he try again?
The questions Marte currently can answer, he mostly has.
The 28-year-old left fielder sat in the dugout Wednesday at Huntington Field in Columbus and spoke for nearly 20 minutes to two Pittsburgh reporters through Hector Morales, the Pirates' director of cultural initiatives who has served this month as Marte's interpreter. Marte, currently on a rehab assignment for Triple-A Indianapolis, is eligible to be reinstated July 18.
One point Marte attempted to clarify was his career wasn't built on steroids. His blend of elite speed and power is a product of years of hard work, he said, not fueled by performance-enhancing drugs. Whatever substance Marte used which caused a positive test for Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, he insists the "careless mistake" was confined to this offseason.
Marte has had multiple follow-up tests since the suspension was announced April 18. He said there has been "no trace, nothing." Marte said he didn't test positive in any previous season, and to his knowledge he never played under the influence of PEDs. If that's the case, they did not factor into the contract extension Marte signed in 2014 worth $31 million over six years.
"I cannot control what people think, and people will have many different thoughts about this," Marte said. "I believe the numbers I put in were all legitimate, put in through effort, a lot of effort, a lot of work, to get that completed and get that done.
"I made a mistake, and I learned from it. I want to continue to show that I can play."
Marte said he wasn't in the habit of checking with a trainer before he tried supplements, and that's something he intends to in the future. In a statement released shortly after the suspension was handed down, Marte said, "Neglect and lack of knowledge led me to this mistake," but players have easy access to explainers about what supplements are cleared.
It was the middle of March, and Marte was driving around Bradenton, Fla., when he received a phone call from a Major League Baseball representative informing him of the positive test.
"I had a lot of emotions," Marte said. "I had to call my wife. I prayed and did a lot of deep breathing to try to control myself and calm myself down. Then I just tried to find ways and ask God for mental peace to be able to move forward and be able to get past this experience."
Marte kept the information to himself. He decided telling teammates about the impending suspension would only weigh them down, but felt it impacting his play. His batting average slipped to .241. "It was on my mind at all times," Marte said.
Before Marte packed his bags in the visiting clubhouse at Busch Stadium in St. Louis April 18, he was granted permission by manager Clint Hurdle and general manager Neal Huntington to address the team. He felt it was an important opportunity for him to express his remorse.
"The message was me apologizing for the mistake I had made," Marte said Wednesday. "The reply was not to repeat it again, to learn from it, because they need me. They need me as part of the team, and they wanted me to be there contributing."
The Pirates told Marte he could choose where to spend the first portion of his suspension, and they were willing to open their Dominican Republic academy for him to train if he went home. Marte said was going to go there, then decided against it. He would stay in Florida, living in Bradenton and training at Pirate City until he was cleared to go on a minor league assignment.
"It was an opportunity for me to be able to impact the lives of the younger players who are there," Marte said. "I got some energy from what I saw. I was able to find some time. ... I wanted to show the team my commitment, not only to the game but to developing others as well."
Marte has watched the Pirates regularly _ "I go through the same emotions they go through," he said. "When they're losing, I don't like it." _ and stayed in contact with Gregory Polanco, Ivan Nova, Tony Watson, Francisco Cervelli and Hurdle. Marte also gathered advice from players around the league who have been suspended for steroids. Cervelli is among that group.
The lessons, Marte said, were to own up to the mistake and try to control what he can control. Opponents might share opinions. Fans might boo. For now, Marte might be viewed as a cheater, but perhaps that perception will change in time. The date Marte is expected to be reinstated _ July 18 _ falls in the middle of a series at PNC Park. He's unsure what reception awaits.
"I don't know what fans will do, what their expectations will be," Marte said. "I know I will try my best to contribute to the team, and try my best to go into the field and give everything I give all the time so they find joy in watching me play."
