Astros: Reaction to Hinch interview, WSJ codebreaker report

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.

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.

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.