Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich dropped a bomb of a report today, offering up pretty clear cut evidence that – at least in 2017 – the then-World-Champion Houston Astros were using electronic means to steal signs at home. Although we all kinda suspected something fishy was going on (in that arena and many other Astros methods), to have the clear evidence out there, and to have MLB now investigating, is a really big deal.
And there’s more – The Athletic report indicates, from multiple sources, that the problem of electronic sign-stealing is believed to be much, much wider than just the Astros in 2017.
What else could it mean?
Well, you will find me sipping tea like Kermit the Frog after a report that one of the other teams about whom we’ve been deeply, deeply suspicious for a while is one of the teams identified by players: the Brewers.
Houston is one of three teams I’ve had multiple players identify to me as the most egregious with electronic sign stealing. The others: Milwaukee and Texas. https://t.co/sb4764mFDB
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) November 12, 2019
It wasn’t *just* the absurd home run binge Christian Yelich had early at Miller Park this year, but that certainly raised a lot of eyebrows about sign-stealing at Miller Park, something that’s been talked about behind the scenes for multiple years now. Good to know that the players are aware.
We saw the Cubs using multiple signs with no runners on base at Miller Park from their second series visit on, which is absolutely not a coincidence. Probably also not a coincidence? The Cubs gave up 22 runs in that first three-game series at Miller Park. The next series at Miller? 11. And the final four-gamer was 23 runs.
Miller Park has been under scrutiny for decades, actually. I remember the Cardinals beefing about how the were using the lights almost ten years ago, and also – LOL – there’s this:
"In 1973, then-Texas Rangers manager Whitey Herzog accused Brewers mascot Bernie Brewer and his assistant of stealing signs from the mascot’s chalet in center field."@CliffCorcoran's look back at the history of sign-stealing only gets weirder from there:https://t.co/8n4Fe6olmt
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) October 18, 2018
You’re so busted, Bernie.
Let’s see just how wide-reaching the league’s investigation is into this issue, and whether it goes well beyond the Astros to other teams that have been suspected, strongly, of electronic sign-stealing.
In conclusion, Christian Yelich hit .347/.451/.750 at Miller Park this year, and .324/.406/.655 last year. At Wrigley Field, he hit .229/.341/.457 this year, and .205/.273/.205 last year.