Drastic action is clearly needed
It’s no surprise Red Sox allegedly stole signs. Now, commissioner must crack down hard
Major League Baseball has a serious issue on its hands with rampant sign stealing plaguing the game, and the Astros are no longer the only team that can be saddled with the blame.
On the same day that word leaked that MLB is nearing a decision on disciplinary action for Houston’s alleged practice of watching video and banging on a trash can to relay pitches in 2017, another crisis emerged. This time it involved the Red Sox during their 2018 run to a
World Series title.
The Boston allegations aren’t quite as severe, but they are still noteworthy and, if true, would violate league rules. According to a report from the Athletic, multiple unidentified players stand accused of using the club’s video replay room during games to learn the sign sequences of opposing teams.
Unlike Houston, the Red Sox are not charged with using that information in real time. The Astros allegedly watched a live feed and identified pitches by making a loud bang to tip off the batter. By comparison, Boston has been accused of cheating in a somewhat more traditional way, by using the information gained from video to later relay pitch types from second base.
“The commissioner made clear in a September 15, 2017 memorandum to clubs how seriously he would take any future violation of the regulations regarding use of electronic equipment or the inappropriate use of the video replay room. Given these allegations, MLB will commence an investigation into this matter,” MLB said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
That a second team emerged as a possible cheat is no surprise. When the initial Astros report came out, one of the notable admissions was that Houston allegedly started cheating at the behest of a player who benefitted from a similar system with another team. Based on the evidence, it was reasonable to think the Astros scandal was just the tip of the iceberg. Historically, baseball has never earned the benefit of the doubt. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to come down hard on the Astros. As outlined in a report by ESPN, former and current Astros employees — front office and on-field personnel — are likely to face harsh punishment for their involvement. At least one common denominator is Alex Cora, who
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was the Astros’ bench coach in 2017 before joining the Red Sox as manager the following year. Houston manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow also figure to face discipline. Unmentioned so far has been Blue Jays bench coach Dave Hudgens, who was the Astros’ hitting coach from 2015-18.
“We were recently made aware of allegations suggesting the inappropriate use of our video replay room,” the Red Sox said in a statement. “We take these allegations seriously and will fully co-operate with MLB as they investigate the matter.”
The best way to scare teams off from cheating the system is by setting a precedent with sanctions severe enough to give everyone pause: suspensions and fines for the guilty parties, luxury tax payments and the loss of draft picks for the organizations they represent. The players reportedly are being spared from punishment this time, but a statement should be made that they won’t be so lucky with future transgressions. MLB needs to be open and transparent about the findings of its investigation, not only for the public good but to embarrass its own teams into compliance.
Part of this apparent crisis was unavoidable.
Teams are always looking to get a leg up on the opposition and cheating has been around baseball since the game was invented.
The only thing that changed is that the methods have become more complex. What MLB should have expected, however, was that the video replay booths installed prior to 2014 would be used for nefarious purposes.
That decision, coinciding with the debut of manager challenges, did a few things:
It slowed the game down by causing delays any time there was a close play, with managers permitted to call their replay specialist for advice on what to do.
It took a strategic element away from managers who otherwise would have to make a gut call on whether he trusted the emotional reactions of his players.
Finally, and most damning, it created a direct and open line of communication with offfield personnel who had advanced technology at their disposal. The system intended for video replay was almost begging to be exploited for something else.
The most important thing Manfred can do is send a message to the rest of the league by making an example out of the Astros. Severe — potentially even over-the-top — sanctions would go a long way toward scaring off the idea, but it would be foolish to think it would rid the game entirely of people trying to cut corners. Steroids still exist in baseball, no matter what Manfred does, and cheats of other varieties will remain too.
That’s why one possible solution under consideration is especially appealing. Per a recent report by Yahoo Sports, the league is discussing the possibility of using on-field technology to communicate pitch calls. The methods being discussed include a wearable random number generator and lights on the mound visible only to the pitcher. This seems like the future for professional baseball, and it’s one that likely will involve all pitch calls eventually coming from the dugout instead of from behind home plate.
Suspensions and severe punitive actions are called for here, but Manfred will have to do a lot more than that. This might be one area where the league must combat new technology with even more new technology, as awkward as that may sound. While baseball has long been considered a simple game, it’s evolving and the commissioner’s views will have to evolve along with it.