We are getting more details into what the Houston Astros may have been doing in 2017 and it reportedly involves two other managers in the league.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and newly appointed New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran have been named as major key figures in devising the sign-stealing system used by the Houston Astros in 2017, report The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich.
It was former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers who confirmed to Rosenthal and Drellich on Tuesday his former team was stealing signs in 2017 with the aid of a camera in the outfield.
Cora was a bench coach, while Beltran was a designated hitter and outfielder on the same team.
Their setup allegedly involved a camera in the outfield that was connected with the camera’s feed shown on a wall-mounted television monitor steps from the team’s home dugout. If players or or team employees decoded a pitch correctly, they would signal the batter with a loud noise, usually by banging on a trash can in the tunnel near the dugout.
Neither Hinch nor Cora has commented on the sign-stealing allegations, but Beltran has denied the use of any camera.
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“I’m not aware of that camera,” he wrote in a text message. “We were studying the opposite team every day.”
He added: “We took a lot of pride studying pitchers (on) the computer – that is the only technology that I use and I understand. It was fun seeing guys get to the ballpark to look for little details.
“(In) the game of baseball, guys for years have given location and if the catchers get lazy and the pitcher doesn’t cover the signs from second base, of course players are going to take advantage.
“I don’t call that cheating. I call that using the small details to take advantage. I think baseball is doing a great job adding new technology to make sure the game is even for both teams.”
The Astros issued a brief statement earlier this week:
“Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball,” read the statement. “It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time.”
