MLB player Tucupita Marcano faces lifetime ban for alleged baseball betting, AP source says

Marcano could be the second professional athlete to receive a lifetime ban for sports betting this year. In April, the NBA punished Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter after a league investigation found he had shared confidential information with sports bettors and placed bets on games.

It is believed that no active MLB player has been banned for betting on baseball since 1924. Pete Rose was already retired when he agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989.

Marcano, 24, has not played since tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament on July 24. He was claimed off waivers by the Padres on Nov. 2 and placed on the 10-day injured list on March 19.

The MLB investigation was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. It was also reported that four other players were being investigated for betting on baseball in the minor leagues.

“We are aware of an ongoing investigation by Major League Baseball regarding a matter that occurred while the player in question was a member of another organization and not affiliated with the San Diego Padres,” the team said in a statement. “We will have no further comment until the investigation process is complete.”

“We are aware of the matter, which is under investigation, and are fully cooperating,” Brian Warecki, senior vice president of communications for the Pirates, said in a statement. “We will refrain from further comment at this time.”

Marcano’s agent, Michel Velasquez of Rimas Sports, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Major League Baseball Players Association declined to comment.

Major League Rule 21, posted in every clubhouse, states that wagering on baseball games in which a player, umpire, league official or team employee is not required to act will result in a one-year suspension. Wagering on games in which the person is required to act will result in a lifetime suspension.

In addition, bets on other sports with an illegal bookmaker are subject to such disciplinary action as the Commissioner of Baseball deems appropriate.

Rose, baseball’s leading hitter, agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an MLB investigation concluded that he had bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.

The last active MLB player to be suspended under the gambling provision appears to be New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell, who was banned for life in 1924 along with manager Cozy Dolan for offering Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand a $500 bribe to fix a September 27 game.

Marcano made his major league debut on April 1, 2021, and has a .217 average with five home runs, 34 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 149 games. He has played in both the infield and outfield.

U.S. sports leagues have increased oversight of gambling since the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down a federal law that banned betting on soccer, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. Sports betting offices have opened in stadiums of major U.S. professional sports across the country.

Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers after the season opener on March 21 when a federal gambling investigation came to light. Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the two-time AL MVP to pay off debts.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said last month that the sport’s investigative division had become subordinate to the government’s probe, noting that MLB has better methods for monitoring potentially illegal wagers at legal sportsbooks than at illegal bookmakers. It’s not clear how Marcano could have made his alleged bets.

When it comes to legal sports betting, the MLB is primarily interested in actions that are not based on the score or result, so-called prop bets. These include, for example, bets on a certain player stealing at least one base in a certain game.

“There are certain types of special bets that we are and will continue to be concerned about,” Manfred said. “Obviously, the likelihood of something happening in the game that nobody notices is much higher with many types of special bets, and you can imagine that a player would be more tempted to do that – you just have to miss three free throws, it doesn’t necessarily change the outcome of the game. Maybe the team will pick you up and life goes on. It’s just easier to have a problem with a special bet. I think that’s just human nature. So, yes, we continue to be concerned about that and have advocated for certain types of special bets to not be allowed.”

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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Will Graves contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb