Three MLB Managers Fired for Connections to Sign Stealing Scandal

A few days after the 2019 World Series ended, reports began to surface that the Houston Astros had stolen signs electronically during the 2017 season. In an article published by The Athletic, former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers accused the team of installing a camera in center field to focus on the catcher. Astros personnel in the dugout allegedly used a live feed from this camera to inform the batter in real time of what pitch was coming.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred

After these allegations, several videos surfaced of astros players at bat, with a loud banging sound coming from the dugout immediately before every breaking pitch. When more evidence surfaced, the Astros’ scheme became clear. In a hallway immediately behind the Astros dugout was a monitor and a trash can. An Astros player would watch the monitor and bang loudly on the trash can to alert the hitter when the catcher called an offspeed pitch. 

Signs have always been an essential part of the game, and as a result, so has sign stealing. Often times, when a team has a runner on second, the runner will attempt to decipher the catcher’s sign and communicate this to the batter. Stealing signs this “old fashioned” way happens regularly, but stealing signs electronically strictly prohibited. After the allegations, the Commissioner's Office launched an investigation.

In Early January, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the long-awaited statement detailing exactly what the Astros did and what their punishment would be.

The story of the Astros scandal begins in the video replay room. This is a designated room where team employees review each play to notify the manager weather to challenge a call on the field. From the beginning of the season, Astros personnel in the replay room used the live video to decode signs and transmit them to the dugout during the game. A video room employee would inform players in the dugout of the signs to use when a runner was on second base. This alone is illegal, but as the season went on, the Astros scheme went far beyond the replay room.

According to Manfred’s report, a group of players proposed a system of transmitting signs directly to the batter from the dugout. Alex Cora, the Astros bench coach at the time, arranged for a monitor to be installed just behind the dugout. This allowed players to view a live feed from the centerfield camera. The preferred method of communicating signs to the batter was banging a trash can with a bat before offspeed pitches.

In his report, Manfred wrote that the sign stealing system was primarily “player-driven,” and that “everyone proximate to the Astros’ dugout presumptively heard or saw the banging.” However, the commissioner did not choose to discipline players, citing that it would be difficult to “determine with any degree of certainty every player who should be held accountable, or their relative degree of culpability.” Manfred’s Disciplinary action included the following:

 Jeff Luhnow, Astros General Manager:

Although Luhnow denied knowledge of the sign stealing scheme, evidence from the Commissioner's investigation suggests that he was at least somewhat aware of it. Luhnow was held responsible primarily on the grounds that he failed to ensure that the Astros were in compliance with MLB Rules. Manfred’s report also condemned the general environment and culture of the Astros baseball operations department, describing it as “very problematic.” Luhnow was issued a one-year suspension and was subsequently fired by the Astros.

A.J. Hinch, Astros Field Manager:

As manager, Hinch was fully aware of the scheme, but did nothing to stop it. The report’s description of his role in the scheme is somewhat confusing. It suggests that Hinch disapproved of the sign stealing, describing two incidents where he “physically damaged the monitor, [...] necessitating its replacement,” but also states that he did not “notify players or Cora that he disapproved of it.” For failure to stop the scheme or bring it to the attention of Luhnow, Hinch was suspended for one year. He was fired by the Astros after the report was released.

Alex Cora, 2017 Astros Bench Coach:

Manfred’s report singled out Cora as a prominent participant in the scheme. Cora orchestrated the illegal use of the replay room and arranged for the monitor to be installed in the dugout. While all Astros staff close to the dugout were aware of the scheme, Cora was the only non-player who actively participated in sign stealing.

After the 2017 season, Cora was hired as manager of the Boston Red Sox. Major League Baseball is now in the process of investigating the Red Sox for electronic sign stealing which was most likely arranged by Cora. Cora’s penalty will be announced after the Red Sox investigation, and it will likely be more serious than Hinch’s. After the publication of the Astros report, Cora was fired by the Red Sox. 

Carlos Beltran, 2017 Astros player

The Astros report said that although the Astros players were primarily responsible for the scheme, it would be too difficult to discipline each player individually. Because of this, no players were mentioned in the report, except for one: Carlos Beltran. 2017 was Beltran’s final season as a player. A year later, in the 2019 off-season, he was hired as manager of the New York Mets. Beltran was considered a good fit for the Mets job. He had played for them from 2005 through 2011. However, after he was mentioned in the Astros report, the Mets began to feel public pressure to find a new manager and distance themselves from the sign stealing scandal. On January 16, he was forced to resign by the Mets, having not managed a single game.