Astros: Examining the real issues in the sign stealing controversy

It’s time to take a closer look at this Astros sign-stealing scandal and what the rules actually are.

I know, I know, it’s yet another article about the whole Astros-Gate. I’m so tired of reading all of the scathing articles that seemingly want to hang the Astros out to dry. So here’s a whole different angle.

After doing a little of my own research, I’m somewhat mad at all of the articles out there that have taken the stance that the Astros are guilty until proven guilty. I have yet to find an article that has taken the time to clarify the rules and to actually explain the entire situation in relation to the official rules. And, of course, not many fans of the Astros, much less fans of any other teams, have taken the time to do their own research before believing all of these allegations.

With accusations continuing to be thrown around — those first being made by former pitchers to now those of alleged front-office emails — and all of them seemingly sticking, no matter what the official MLB investigation does or doesn’t prove, the damage has been done just because the accusations have been made.

But I want us to just wait one second before we declare a judgment. After all, in our judicial society, you are innocent until you’re proven guilty. All of the things being discussed so far are merely circumstantial from an evidentiary perspective. It all has yet to be proven, and nothing that has been alleged makes much sense anyway, especially when you look at the actual rules of the game.

What do the official rules actually say?

There is so much confusion out there about what is and what isn’t allowed, so let’s get the rules straight about what, when, and how is it legal or illegal to “steal signs,” according to the rules.

First of all, there is no rule prohibiting the stealing of signs. It’s actually a common and generally accepted practice in the game, and it has been for decades. Even Ty Cobb wrote in 1926 that, “If a player is smart enough to solve the opposing system of signals he is given due credit.”

To expand on that, Dave Campbell wrote:

“However, it is fair game to steal signs from second. The runner at second can look in at the catcher’s signals in an attempt to decipher what the catcher is calling, or he can lean in to determine the location of the pitch. While standing on second base, veteran ballplayers can subtly pass the information they decipher along to the hitter. This is simply considered gamesmanship — no one would think of it as cheating.”

The dividing line lies in the use of mechanical or technological devices to steal signs. Stealing signs with the naked eye is fine, but using additional help is what is frowned upon. The National League banned the use of mechanical devices to steal signs in 1961, and then-MLB Vice President Sandy Alderson issued a memo in 2001 advising teams that the use of electronic equipment to steal signs was prohibited.

In February 2019, Commissioner Rob Manfred circulated a five-page memo enforcing existing sign-stealing rules and outlining new ones, specifically where cameras could be positioned, assigning security experts to monitor team managers who have access to live game feeds for the purposes of challenging a call on the field, and requiring an eight-second delay on all other TV monitors viewed during the game by players and coaches in the bullpen or the clubhouse.

Prior violations.

In 2017, the Boston Red Sox were caught stealing signs against the New York Yankees and relaying them using an Apple Watch, which was not allowed to be in the dugout. To be clear, the Red Sox were fined not for deciphering signs, but because of the use of an electronic means of communicating these signs to each other.

Boston then accused the Yankees of stealing signs using a television camera from the YES television network, which is partially owned by the Yankees. The investigation by MLB did not turn up any evidence to support the allegations made by the Red Sox but instead found evidence of improper use of the dugout phone in an earlier championship prior to 2017. Because the phone was an improper electronic means to communicate, the Yankees were also fined for violation of the rules governing the use of electronics.

Do we have any real evidence of these alleged rule violations?

The common terminology being thrown around is “stealing signs,” but this verbiage makes it sound like some sort of espionage is being committed. In reality, it’s just smart people deciphering a code and then relaying that to their fellow teammates. There’s nothing in the official rules that prohibits this relay. Once again, the only thing prohibited is the use of electronic equipment to communicate with each other during games.

According to the first article published by The Athletic, Mike Fiers, a former pitcher for the Astros, along with three other unnamed sources, alleges that in 2017, the Astros used a camera set up in center field to steal signs from catchers during home games in 2017. The information was then allegedly communicated to a batter by banging loudly on a trash can.

We have a few zealous fans who have put together videos from 2017 in which alleged banging on trash cans and/or different whistles can be heard during specific at-bats by certain players.

According to the clarification issued by Manfred in 2019, which came nearly two years after these alleged violations, the only part of this allegation which may be circumspect is the alleged use of a camera to steal the signs. It would not have been illegal to communicate with the batter using the trashcan because this obviously is not electronic equipment.

There is still no smoking gun here with the timing of these alleged incidents because the rules were not even expanded and clarified by Manfred until 2019, and the Astros were not using an electronic means to communicate with each other.

In a second article from The Athletic, an executive in the front office is alleged to have sent an email to scouts requesting they go to games to report findings of what could and could not be seen of the opposing dugout during games. In and of itself, there is nothing too terribly wrong with this request. This still does not violate the rules because it was advanced scouting and does not prove equipment was used to electronically communicate with players during a game. All this email really proves is the Astros are diligent in finding that competitive edge.