Astros cut suspended Singleton
Former top prospect Jon Singleton, currently serving a 100-game suspension for a third positive drug test, was released by the Houston Astros.
Singleton, who said he "couldn't stop smoking weed," went to drug rehab but admitted he began abusing alcohol when his access to marijuana was limited.
A first baseman drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009, the Astros acquired Singleton in the trade for Hunter Pence at the 2011 trade deadline. By the end of that season, he was ranked the No. 1 prospect in Houston's system.
But he never found success on the field in the major leagues, with 61 hits in 357 at-bats over two seasons -- 2015 and 2016 -- with the Astros.
Singleton failed a drug test in 2012 while in Double-A, and then another in December 2012 that drew a 50-game MLB ban. In 2014, during an interview with AP, Singleton said he couldn't shake a marijuana addiction.
"Even after I failed the second drug test, I couldn't stop smoking weed. It was really bad," he said.
The 26-year-old hit 18 home runs but held a .206 batting average at Double-A Corpus Christi last season. In January, he failed a third test and was suspended 100 games.
--Field Level Media
