In the Dominican Republic, many young boys dream of making it to the MLB. However, for only a lucky few, this dream becomes a reality, and they make it, leaving behind their families in pursuit of their careers, fame, and fortune. Similarly, even young Joel David Ortiz Mejía had the same dream, and he was so close to his dream reaching fruition until his health and entire life took a turn for the worse.
Deceit and betrayal marred the pursuit of his big MLB dream. Young Joel David became the victim of the greed of a trainer who promised to help him achieve his MLB dream but instead administered steroids to him, under the guise of B-complex injections. This deception not only destroyed his baseball career but also put his entire life in jeopardy.
The dark side of baseball dreams
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As reported by MLB insider Hector Gomez from a Dominican Republic publication called Listin Diario, Joel was two days away from appearing in front of his scout, who would eventually take him to the Big Leagues. However, the young pitcher started facing unexpected dizziness. Soon, the medical authorities confirmed that the young pitcher was being fed steroids without the consent of his parents, and a deterioration in his kidney was visible.
From almost signing for MLB to open heart surgery: Young Dominican baseball player was a victim of the greed of a trainer who told him he was injecting him B complex, when in act he administered him steriods, per @ListinDiario.https://t.co/oT9XUMDcCg pic.twitter.com/QM5G2zfno0
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) April 17, 2023
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At the young age of 16, Joel David threw 93mph and was an absolute sensation. Moreover, he also received an offer worth $700,000. Eventually, he underwent a kidney transplant, but even that didn’t improve his situation, and following the transplant, the doctors diagnosed Joel with a bacterium that damaged his mitral valve.
At such a young age, a trainer entered Joel’s life and completely ruined it by injecting him with steroids under the pretext of it being a Vitamin B complex. Joel David’s open heart surgery will take place on May 18.
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The story of this young Dominican baseball player is a tragic reminder of the ugly side of MLB dreams and the dangers of deceit and steroid abuse that can accompany them. It is a story of a young athlete who had his hopes and dreams taken away from him by those who were supposed to help him achieve them.
