Angels Pitcher Taylor Cole Claims Astros’ Sign Stealing Goes All The Way Down To Their Minor Leagues
Angels pitcher Taylor Cole believes the Houston Astros weren’t punished harshly enough for their sign-stealing antics over the last few years. On the heels of a new report that shows the perennial World Series contender’s sign-stealing was more prevalent than Major League Baseball first let on, the Angels player took to Instagram to voice his displeasure with the way the whole situation was handled. In particular, he thinks the investigation into the team was ended prematurely. He also didn’t like how evasive Astros’ manager AJ Hinch was when he was asked if he knew whether his players were wearing buzzers under their uniforms.
“After listening to this interview with AJ Hinch, the former manager of the Astros, I couldn’t help but wonder why when asked about whether the team used buzzers this past season that he didn’t answer with a clear cut “no”. Instead, he mentioned that Major League Baseball did an investigation and found nothing. I believe the MLB needs to further the investigation into the buzzers. Every player I’ve talked to believes they were using them, not to mention all the reports that have come out on it.”
Cole went on to drop a bit of a bombshell if it could ever be proven true. The Angels pitcher claimed he heard the electronic sign-stealing wasn’t just being done by the Astros but also by the franchises’ Minor League teams.
Cole is far from the only person who has voiced their displeasure with what many see as a slap on the wrist for the Astros by Major League Baseball. He is one of, if not the first, to publicly claim the cheating goes much further than just a couple of seasons at the big league level.
Over the winter, an investigation into allegations the Houston Astros were using electronic means of figuring out opposing teams’ signs and relaying them to the players led to one-year suspensions and eventual firings of manager AJ Hinch and general manager Larry Luhnow. Mets manager Carlos Beltran and Boston Redsox manager Joey Cora were also fired after the investigation found they were heavily involved in the sign-stealing when they were with the Astros.
While the team has claimed they relayed messages mainly by banging on trash cans, some players around MLB believe the players were also using buzzers under their uniforms. The fact that none of the players who were carrying out the cheating were disciplined has angered some players on other teams.
The Angels pitcher certainly has a reason to be upset over Houston’s sign-stealing, which the team claims it predominantly did in their home park. In four appearances in Minute Maid Park, Taylor Cole has a 14.29 earned run average. In five outings at home against the Astros, the pitcher did not allow a run.
