Astros hit Florida, stay mum
Crane, Baker, players to talk to media today
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Another day of anger and apologies across Major League Baseball ended without a word from the team spurring it all.
Pitchers and catchers reported to the Astros’ spring training facility Wednesday, a milestone that often marks an unofficial start to the team’s season. The Astros spent it shrouded in secrecy, seemingly still formulating a plan for how to address the sign-stealing scandal that shook the sport.
The team is expected, perhaps as soon as Thursday, to fulfill owner Jim Crane’s month-old promise of a “strong statement” apologizing for the electronic espionage. Though Crane was not spotted at the facility Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation said he was present.
Wednesday night, the Astros announced they would hold a news conference at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, with Crane, manager Dusty Baker and players taking part.
What Houston’s mea culpa will contain, should it be issued at that time, remains a mystery. All culpability or remorse regarding the sign stealing has arrived from either fired employees or personnel now employed elsewhere. Blame has been assumed by many, none of whom will play for the 2020 Astros.
Dave Hudgens, Houston’s hitting coach during the 2017 season, requested a meeting with Toronto reporters Wednesday in Dunedin, Fla., to apologize for “not doing something more” to stop skulduggery to which he was originally oblivious.
“I can remember sitting in the dugout and hearing a bang,” said Hudgens, now the Blue Jays’ bench coach. “(I thought it was) nothing. Then you hear it a few times, and then I asked one of the players, ‘What’s going on? What’s banging?’ ”
“They’re letting them know when a breaking ball is coming,” the player responded, according to Hudgens.
Hudgens’ regret aligns with his former boss’ feelings. In his only comments since he was fired, former Astros manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged he “tolerated too much.” Hinch destroyed two monitors projecting the live feed of games to show his displeasure.
Beltran’s influence felt
For Hudgens and Hinch, disappointment lies in never conducting a team meeting to end the scheme. Major League Baseball determined it was “player-driven.” Recent revelations have portrayed former Mets manager Carlos Beltran as the ringleader.
Beltran had a wellknown reputation throughout baseball as an adept sign-stealer. He was the only player commissioner Rob Manfred named in his nine-page investigative report. Manfred did not punish the nine-time All-Star because, at the time of the wrongdoing, Beltran was a player. Throughout the investigation, players were given immunity for truthful testimony.
Manfred’s report states that a group of players “including Beltran” started discussions about how the Astros could improve their sign stealing. From there, according to Manfred, former bench coach Alex Cora helped procure the dugout monitors that showed footage from a live camera in center field.
In November, the month he was hired as Mets manager, Beltran texted the New York Post to claim he was “not aware of that camera” in center field that Houston used to decode signs. Two months later, he and the Mets “mutually agreed” to part ways, making Beltran the fourth casualty (after Hinch, Cora and former Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow) of a controversy his actions inspired.
During the 2017 season, Beltran’s influence within the Astros clubhouse could not be overstated. His longevity was revered. Among the Latin-American players, especially fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Correa, Beltran was an idol.
“Obviously, 20 years in the big leagues, he had tremendous influence on the players, there’s no doubt,” Hudgens said.
Luhnow said the veteran designated hitter was “worth every penny for us” and “contributed in a lot of ways that were not really seen by our fans.”
That Hinch, Hudgens or someone did not stop such illicit contributions is now the Astros’ undoing.
“If we’d have went to talk to him and said, ‘Look, this probably isn’t right; we probably shouldn’t be doing this,’ I have no doubts that he would have pulled the string in,” Hudgens said. “Carlos did have tremendous influence in that clubhouse, and rightfully so. He’s earned it over 20 years.
“It’s something that’s not right, and it shouldn’t have been done, and we should have nipped it in the bud early.”
Regret expressed in hindsight has only inflamed opponents more. Angels pitcher Noe Ramirez wished “bad karma” on the Astros on Wednesday. Teammate Andrew Heaney, in a profanity-laced, passionate address to Angels reporters, claimed Houston “needs to do more than they already did.”
Thursday could start to satisfy Heaney and scores of other rivals. The Astros will open their clubhouse to the media before the first official workout with pitchers and catchers. So many reporters are expected that the team is opening another room in its complex to handle overflow.
A handful of position players are in West Palm Beach, though their official report date is not until Sunday. Jose Altuve, Aledmys Diaz and Alex Bregman were seen Wednesday. Correa indicated on social media he’s also in Florida.
Players were unavailable for interviews Wednesday, and media members were not allowed inside the Astros’ facility — contrary to the team’s policy on the day pitchers and catchers reported last spring.
Players protected
Those attempting to park in the same media spaces from the last two years — in an area adjacent to the player parking lot — were immediately swarmed by security guards directing them elsewhere. One guard said “we don’t want any media walking near here,” pointing to the players’ lot.
Still, a group of photographers, television photojournalists and reporters kept vigil outside the facility. Cars that drove by were prone to being photographed. Bench coach Joe Espada and special assistant Kevin Goldstein were among those who gave courtesy waves. Pitching coach Brent Strom stopped his vehicle, rolled down the window and cracked a few jokes.
Director of advance information Tom Koch-Weser, who has emerged as an influential behind-thescenes piece to the scandal, also drove to the facility. Koch-Weser’s emails obtained by the Wall Street Journal called Beltran the “godfather” of the Astros’ electronic sign-stealing scheme, which continues to envelop the sport.
“Some guys will want to talk about it and give you a lot, and some guys have already moved on,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday.
The Astros have no choice. Moving on seems impossible until they confront the unending criticism — a task that finally begins Thursday.