Police arrested former All-Star catcher and Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto near Dallas on July 10 for marijuana possession.
This was Soto's second marijuana infraction. He tested positive for pot during the World Baseball Classic in 2009.
Soto was pulled over at 10 pm in Grapevine, Texas (a half-hour northwest of Dallas) for an unknown reason. Presumably, the police smelled marijuana and conducted a search. The amount of marijuana found in the car is also unknown. Soto was charged with possessing under two ounces, taken to Tarrant County Correction Center in Fort Worth and released on $500 bail the following morning.
“I'm embarrassed and would like to apologize to my family, the Rangers organization and our fans that I was taken in on this charge,” he said in a written statement released by team.
Soto joined the Texas in 2012 after eight years with the Cubs, where he took Rookie of the Year honors in 2008 with a breakout 23 home run/86 RBI All-Star season. His stats have pretty much dropped off ever since. The Puerto Rico-born backstop had surgery to correct torn cartilage in his right knee before the start of the season. He was on the disabled list when the arrest happened.
Update: On Aug. 24, Soto was traded to the A's. In 14 games, he averaged .262 in 42 at bats. Soto started for the A's against the Royals in the AL Wildcard Game on Sept. 30, but was removed from the lineup in the third inning after injuring his thumb in a tag play at the plate. Kansas City came from behind to defeat Oakland 9-8 in 12 innings.
