Carlos Beltran, who was a member of the Houston Astros in 2017, denied any and all knowledge of a camera that his team allegedly used to electronically steal signs that season, claiming that the World Series champions stole signs organically and legally.
“I’m not aware of that camera,” Beltran told The Post in a text message exchange. “We were studying the opposite team every day.”
A damning report surfaced on Tuesday that had former members of the team accusing the ball club of having a camera that was positioned in the outfield at Minute Maid Park where it could be used to decipher and relay signs to hitters through a banging-on-trash-can signal.
Beltran insisted the Astros only stole signs from standing on second base.
“We took a lot of pride studying pitchers [on] the computer. That is the only technology that I use and understand,” he said. “It was fun seeing guys get to the ballpark to look for little details.
“The game of baseball for years, guys have given location and if the catchers get lazy and the pitcher doesn’t cover the signs from second base [then] of course players are going to take advantage. I don’t call that cheating. I call that using 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. It’s easy to blame someone when they win.”
The Astros have since sent out a statement.
“Regarding the story posted by The Athletic earlier today, the Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball. It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time.”
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