2019 MLB figures getting coal from Santa Claus this Christmas
By Bill Felber
2019 MLB figures getting coal from Santa
The Houston Astros
Santa’s apparently not the only one who sees you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake. The difference is the Astros have cameras installed to monitor things…sign-stealing things.
When former Astro Mike Fiers revealed in early November that the team had used electronic surveillance methods to steal pitch information during the 2017 season, MLB launched a full investigation of the Astros. The results of that investigation have not yet been announced.
But the best possible spin that can be put on Fiers’ revelations – which no Astro has attempted to deny – is …well, there is no best possible spin. It’s all bad.
Electronic sign-stealing is against MLB rules because it substitutes outside forces for good old human ingenuity. Commissioner Rob Manfred has promised serious consequences if the allegations are found to be valid. He has not said what those consequences might be, but the options – fines, loss of draft picks, administrative suspensions or even firings – could threaten the future of the dominant program in the game’s recent past.
What remains to be known is how long the electronic surveillance went on whether it was used during the 2017 post-season, and whether it extended into 2018 or 2019. The longer and more active the surveillance, the deeper the doo-doo is for Astros team officials and executives.