Astros accused of high-tech sign-stealing scheme during 2017 championship season

[JarsOfClay]

2 hours ago, Stradling said:

I totally believe they were cheating however that video is garbage.  He’s not looking out to the bullpen he is checking out the runner and his lead and whether or not it is opening up a bigger hole to hit through.  

Watch the entire video.  Particularly at 6:28 with Altuve at bat. The bases are empty and yet after every pitch sign the catcher puts down, he quickly glances to the left field side. Every single pitch. The author of the video thinks the Astros changed it up and moved the coach to the left field side to make it less obvious. 

[yk9001]

That midget is a Goddamed cheater.

[Lou]

7 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

That midget is a Goddamed cheater.

I've hated him ever since he was touring with Kid Rock

[tdawg87]

14 minutes ago, Lou said:

I've hated him ever since he was touring with Kid Rock

[Lou]

[tdawg87]

That 8 year old got more pussy than I'll ever get in my life.

[Docwaukee]

2 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

That 8 year old got more pussy than I'll ever get in my life.

my guess is that you guys are tied.  

[Chuck]

https://www.bardown.com/this-fan-video-perfectly-explains-the-astros-cheating-accusations-from-2017-world-series-run-1.1397120?fbclid=IwAR3uvgZ1rOM87Ko8GBiZuFqjShWBMM5V_b-RUhEfv040wYZzKq5_bkXKsSc

 

[JarsOfClay]

28 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

https://www.bardown.com/this-fan-video-perfectly-explains-the-astros-cheating-accusations-from-2017-world-series-run-1.1397120?fbclid=IwAR3uvgZ1rOM87Ko8GBiZuFqjShWBMM5V_b-RUhEfv040wYZzKq5_bkXKsSc

In a tweet from 2018, Trevor Bauer claims that the Astros pitchers were cheating as well. Possibly adding pine tar to their fingers to increase spin rate? I don't know.  It does make a lot of sense. I mean Verlander looked like his career was about to be over soon and he some how found a rejuvenation with the Astros. Gerrit Cole was really regressing with the Pirates and all of sudden he's the most dominant pitcher in the league last year and this year?

Something is fishy, and with the Astros history of cheating, I wouldn't be surprised by it. What do you guys think?

[Docwaukee]

1 minute ago, JarsOfClay said:

In a tweet from 2018, Trevor Bauer claims that the Astros pitchers were cheating as well. Possibly adding pine tar to their fingers to increase spin rate? I don't know.  It does make a lot of sense. I mean Verlander looked like his career was about to be over soon and he some how found a rejuvenation with the Astros. Gerrit Cole was really regressing with the Pirates and all of sudden he's the most dominant pitcher in the league last year and this year?

Something is fishy, and with the Astros history of cheating, I wouldn't be surprised by it. What do you guys think?

does this mean that Cole will decline rapidly?  

[Blarg]

3 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

does this mean that Cole will decline rapidly?  

I believe he will pitch to his talent level from this point on.

[Jay]

To think I actually liked that team...

[Lou]

Report: Astros exec recommended scouts use cameras to steal signs in 2017

 

A front-office executive from the Houston Astros asked team scouts to pursue sign-stealing and suggested using cameras to do so, according to an August 2017 email obtained by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich.

"One thing in specific we are looking for is picking up signs coming out of the dugout," the email’s sender wrote. "What we are looking for is how much we can see, how we would log things, if we need cameras/binoculars, etc. So go to game, see what you can (or can’t) do and report back your findings."

Scouts also discussed sign-stealing with the same executive on phone calls and in a group Slack channel, Rosenthal and Drellich note.

Scouts apparently did not like the idea of being asked to steal signs with a camera and voiced their concerns with management.

"Nobody wanted to do that, and take a chance of getting caught and ruining their reputation, not only as a scout but then even further damage what the Astros had going," a person involved in the conversations told The Athletic.

The email follows a report from earlier this week that claimed the Astros were using electronics to steal signs during the 2017 season, the same year they won the World Series. The report was backed up by pitcher Mike Fiers, who played for the Astros that season.

MLB is reportedly investigating the organization to see if they were aware of the illegal sign-stealing and is apparently expanding its probe to include other teams.

The league plans to interview current and former players and employees of the Astros, including manager AJ Hinch, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, and newly appointed New York Mets skipper Carlos Beltran. Cora was Hinch's bench coach in 2017 and Beltran played the final season of his career with the Astros that same year.

Major League Baseball prohibits clubs from using electronics to gain an unfair advantage by stealing signs.

[Taylor]

2 hours ago, Lou said:

Report: Astros exec recommended scouts use cameras to steal signs in 2017

 

A front-office executive from the Houston Astros asked team scouts to pursue sign-stealing and suggested using cameras to do so, according to an August 2017 email obtained by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich.

Any word on who the exec was? My bets are on the frat boy domestic abuse apologist.

[Stradling]

27 minutes ago, Vladdylonglegs said:

The Astros are going to have their title stripped. Book it. 

No chance. 

[JustATroutFan]

Even without the cheating, the Astros are still a great team. But it ruins their reputation. As well as their players who were part of it. Their stars didn’t need to cheat. They’re still terrific talents but there are guys out there who does not want to just be elite players. They want to be the best that has ever played the game. Bonds is a great example of that. Clemens as well. 

[Billy_Ball]

Hey Manfred, take away their 2020, 2021 and 2022 first round draft picks.

[Pancake Bear]

45 minutes ago, Stradling said:

No chance. 

Originally thought the same. Starting to wonder when I read how pissed off the GM’s are and as we’re hearing how extensive their cheating hasn’t been. I still don’t think it’s likely, but there’s a reasonable doubt in my mind now.

At this point, very little would surprise me. 

[ten ocho recon scout]

It would be awesome if their title was stripped. Then the dodgers go "Hey! Does that mean we get the title?!?"

And MLB goes "No. You guys still lost."

[Pancake Bear]

15 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

It would be awesome if their title was stripped. Then the dodgers go "Hey! Does that mean we get the title?!?"

And MLB goes "No. You guys still lost."

Correct. Even if that did happen, the Dodgers have no real claim to it.

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 minute ago, Sean-Regan said:

Correct. Even if that did happen, the Dodgers have no real claim to it.

Maybe people have been stealing Kershaws signs for a decade?

[JarsOfClay]

5 hours ago, JustATroutFan said:

Even without the cheating, the Astros are still a great team. But it ruins their reputation. As well as their players who were part of it. Their stars didn’t need to cheat. They’re still terrific talents but there are guys out there who does not want to just be elite players. They want to be the best that has ever played the game. Bonds is a great example of that. Clemens as well. 

I see it differently. This is why I think the Astros and their players decided to cheat:

• World Series Title
• 3 Division Titles from 2017-2019. They finished 3rd in 2016 prior to the whole cheating scandal.
• Altuve: MVP and a $151 million contract extension
• Bregman:  Almost won an MVP and a $100 million extension

And ofcourse Springer and Correa will get paid handsomely. 

 

[the dude abides]

7 hours ago, Taylor said:

Any word on who the exec was? My bets are on the frat boy domestic abuse apologist.

Kevin Goldstein.  Reports directly to Luhnow.

 

[Pancake Bear]

2 hours ago, the dude abides said:

Kevin Goldstein.  Reports directly to Luhnow.

 

Buster Olney also makes an interesting observation from the email in question.

Hard to believe Luhnow wouldn’t have been involved. 

[Stradling]

2 minutes ago, Sean-Regan said:

Buster Olney also makes an interesting observation from the email in question.

Hard to believe Luhnow wouldn’t have been involved. 

I’d be a little surprised if he didn’t CC Luhnow in the email, but my guess is he didn’t because that would have probably been mentioned.