Fansided

Astros: Reaction to Hinch interview, WSJ codebreaker report

By Andrew Gleinser |
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: AJ Hinch #14 of the Houston Astros returns to the dugout after a mound visit against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning in Game Five of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park on October 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: AJ Hinch #14 of the Houston Astros returns to the dugout after a mound visit against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning in Game Five of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park on October 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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Friday’s revelations about the Astros sign stealing scandal look better for AJ Hinch and worse for Jeff Luhnow.

The results of the Astros sign stealing scandal have consumed the sport for nearly a month. We’ve talked about it ad nauseum, and frankly it would be nice to finally put it to bed and focus on the upcoming season. But Friday provided us with more details in the form of an interview by former manager AJ Hinch and a detailed report from the Wall Street Journal.

First, Hinch’s interview with Tom Verducci on MLB Network was the first in depth response we’ve gotten from anyone involved in the scandal. There weren’t any particularly stunning revelations, but Hinch expressed genuine regret that he didn’t put a stop to the sign stealing and unequivocally stated that it was wrong.

There’s a question I’ve long had, and it’s a question Verducci asked. The commissioner’s report made it clear that Hinch didn’t endorse the sign stealing, going so far as to physically damage the monitor being used on more than one occasion. But he never actually stepped up and told the team to stop, and I’ve often wondered why. I even developed my own theory, which I’ll get to later on.

Hinch confirmed he took a bat to the monitor, but didn’t really state why he failed to put a stop to the sign stealing. He simply said he wishes he would have, and he acknowledged that it was his responsibility to lead the clubhouse and that he failed in that regard. He came off as being genuinely remorseful about the whole thing.

Another part of the interview people are focusing on is the question about whether there were buzzers being used in 2019. Hinch didn’t directly say no, instead referring to the commissioner’s report which stated there was no evidence of any cheating in 2019. Many are interpreting that to mean there was actually cheating going on that simply wasn’t caught.

But the answer didn’t come off that way to me when I watched it. In Verducci’s question, he mentioned that the commissioner’s investigation included the 2019 season and found nothing, and Hinch’s response was framed around that. Maybe he could have stated it more directly, but I didn’t view his answer as an admission of anything. He answered the question in the way it was presented.

After viewing the whole interview, I firmly believe Hinch will get another managerial opportunity. I also believe he deserves one and that he’ll be even better the next time around. It’s a shame this scandal cost him his job with the Astros, but he’ll learn from it and have success wherever he goes.

HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 17: President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jeff Luhnow addresses the media prior to the Game Four of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park on October 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 17: President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jeff Luhnow addresses the media prior to the Game Four of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park on October 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

The Wall Street Journal Report

The Wall Street Journal published a report detailing the origins of the team’s sign stealing scheme and former GM Jeff Luhnow’s purported knowledge of it. You’ll need a subscription to read the story, so of course I bought one just for the sake of reading it. Well played, WSJ.

The story details that the sign stealing scheme actually originated in the front office, rather than among the players and bench coach Alex Cora. An intern devised an algorithm named “Codebreaker” to decipher teams’ signs in real time and showed it to Luhnow in Sept. 2016.

Codebreaker was purportedly used throughout the sign stealing operation in 2017 and 2018, and it was also used on the road in addition to home games. This information was relayed in a letter from Commissioner Rob Manfred to Luhnow in early January 2020, less than two weeks before the commissioner’s report was released.

In essence, Manfred was able to conclude that Luhnow knew or should have known that the Astros were conducting the sign stealing operation. But he was never able to definitively prove that Luhnow was involved or had intimate knowledge of the system or how Codebreaker was utilized.

The team’s Director of Advance Information, Tom Koch-Weser, provided information to investigators that Luhnow had received several emails regarding the scheme and that the two had discussed it in person. He indicated that not only did Luhnow know about it, but that he supported it and even entered the video room during road games.

Other Astros employees also indicated Luhnow knew of and/or supported the operation but could not provide any proof. For his part, Luhnow simply denied Koch-Weser’s account and denied having completely read the emails. It’s basically a he-said-she-said situation, which is why the commissioner’s investigation could not definitively prove Luhnow’s participation.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 05: Manager AJ Hinch #14 talks with Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, prior to game two of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 05, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 05: Manager AJ Hinch #14 talks with Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, prior to game two of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 05, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

The Takeaway

I mentioned earlier that I developed my own theory as to why Hinch didn’t simply step up and tell the players to stop the sign stealing. My theory was that Hinch felt he couldn’t do that because the operation was actively supported by the front office. If the directive came from higher up in the organizational ladder, Hinch could easily have felt that he didn’t have the authority to stop it.

While I can’t prove that, the WSJ report certainly lends credence to it. It gives off the impression that Luhnow was not only aware of the sign stealing but was also an active supporter of it. He seems to have maintained a degree of plausible deniability, which saved him from a harsher punishment, but it’s hard to see him as blameless at this point.

And if we’re being honest here, it’s not at all surprising. While Luhnow proved himself to be both incredibly smart and shrewd, seemingly running circles around other GMs, he also had developed a reputation as someone who only cared about winning. He fostered an “insular culture” in his front office that was blasted by Manfred and had culminated in the Brandon Taubman incident.

He traded for Roberto Osuna at a time when no one else wanted him, willingly absorbing the negative reactions that would come with it. He never really came across as a scrupulous guy, so the fact that he likely supported the sign stealing isn’t a shock.

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In the future, Luhnow will likely have a place in some team’s front office, but he should never be the head of a baseball operations department again. He has skills that teams can and should value, but he needs to be directly overseen by someone. He can’t be allowed to run the show and repeat the things that have happened these past few years.

The combination of the report and the Verducci interview make Hinch look much less culpable. I truly believe he felt he was powerless with respect to the sign stealing, and the destroying of the monitors was a logical manifestation of that. In the end, he probably should have spoken up anyway, but it’s hard to find a great deal of fault in him at this point.

Hinch can and should manage again, and it’s a shame this whole fiasco resulted in such a strong punishment for him. On the other hand, it looks like Luhnow deserved what he got and possibly even more. Kudos to Jim Crane for at least getting rid of him and getting a fresh start in the front office. Let’s hope James Click gets things cleaned up on that front.

What this means for the Astros is even more scrutiny than before. The WSJ’s indication that the sign stealing took place on the road as well as at Minute Maid Park makes things look worse, and the players will need to answer some questions once they report for Spring Training.

In the end, as a lifelong fan, I wish the Astros had never stolen signs. I’m convinced that they were talented enough to win without it, and in the end there’s really no way of knowing how much it helped them on the field.

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But it’s time to get ready for 2020. We have a new manager who won’t allow any shenanigans, and these players have a chance to silence the haters if they can keep their heads down and just win ballgames. For the fans, that can’t happen quickly enough.

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