When teams feel like there's a chance of signs up being stolen, like with a runner on second, the catcher will change the signs or at least pretend to. The problem is if they're being stolen in ways not anticipated by the catcher.More evidence that baseball needs to eliminate its "unwritten rules." Baseball has so many stupid traditions.
The 'unwritten rules' are not really all that complicated for anyone that plays, or even just watches a lot of baseball. About the only way to eliminate them is to make them written rules. If you don't get the 'stupid' traditions then baseball isn't your sport and that's ok.
Steal signs by looking at a guy from second base? Ok-ish. Steal signs using cameras? Not Ok.
As someone who never played baseball beyond little league, what I don't understand is why there are "signs" in the first place. Why does a catcher need to signal to the pitcher which pitch they should throw? Can't the pitcher just decide for himself? If not, can't the catcher use a different system for signs that's not extremely easily "stealable"? Maybe a little clicker that goes to an earpiece in the pitcher's ear. Two clicks for a fastball, one for a changeup, etc. This is the major leagues, they pay the pitchers $10K+ per pitch. With the money they have available it would be easy to make a device that could send an unstealable signal to the pitcher if you absolutely have to send a signal.
The catcher has to know what's coming to have any chance at actually catching the pitch. It happens a couple times a game where the catcher is expecting something different than what is actually thrown and it frequently ends up in a bruise or worse.
I do like the idea of having a better method of relaying signals. You're right, there's enough money and technology to have something better.
If you ask me, stealing signs shouldn't be cheating. The catcher is openly showing the sign. If you can figure out what it means, that's his problem. Do a better job of hiding it or mixing it up. Look at what every college football team does to send plays in with those boards. They make it hard to figure out what the actual signal is because they are showing it in the open. If this was baseball, they would write down the play in detail on the big card and then demand the other team not look at it. Then, they would kick each player in the family jewels if they did and expect no punishment.
There is a pretty large difference between catching a 95 mph heater and a 75 mph curve. Have fun taking a fastball to the beak if you think your pitcher is throwing a curveMore evidence that baseball needs to eliminate its "unwritten rules." Baseball has so many stupid traditions.
Steal signs by looking at a guy from second base? Ok-ish. Steal signs using cameras? Not Ok.
As someone who never played baseball beyond little league, what I don't understand is why there are "signs" in the first place. Why does a catcher need to signal to the pitcher which pitch they should throw? Can't the pitcher just decide for himself? If not, can't the catcher use a different system for signs that's not extremely easily "stealable"? Maybe a little clicker that goes to an earpiece in the pitcher's ear. Two clicks for a fastball, one for a changeup, etc. This is the major leagues, they pay the pitchers $10K+ per pitch. With the money they have available it would be easy to make a device that could send an unstealable signal to the pitcher if you absolutely have to send a signal.
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There is a pretty large difference between catching a 95 mph heater and a 75 mph curve. Have fun taking a fastball to the beak if you think your pitcher is throwing a curve
That's fair enough - that's a logical reason to have communication. But if that's the case - why does it have to be the catcher signalling the pitcher? If the reason for signals is to make sure the catcher is prepared for the pitch how about this extremely simple solution:
The pitcher wears a bluetooth headset, the catcher wears an earpiece. Right before the pitch, the pitcher covers his mouth with his glove and quietly says what the pitch will be to the catcher.
Problem solved. No signals to be stolen (let's assume they have the capability to make a secure connection that can't be hacked or intercepted).
....They screwed the Yankees.....
Still, this suspension and draft pick elimination was over the top. I'm not sure of the extent "technology" was used. As a Houston resident and fan, I casually heard they compared Hand Signals to pitch selection using live feed cameras. C'mon man.
My soft rebuttal is to reference Football using live-feed photos of Defensive Audibles and shifts. How many NFL QBs do we see reviewing live-feed photos waiting for the O to get back on field. They know the audible from the technology.
Stealing Hand-Signals is a part of MLB and it's time they find ways to counter the cameras.
My favorite past-time during a game is guessing Catcher signals and predicting Curve / FB/ or Slider. It gets real fun when the Catcher flutters his 4 fingers then point to location
More evidence that baseball needs to eliminate its "unwritten rules." Baseball has so many stupid traditions.
Steal signs by looking at a guy from second base? Ok-ish. Steal signs using cameras? Not Ok.
As someone who never played baseball beyond little league, what I don't understand is why there are "signs" in the first place. Why does a catcher need to signal to the pitcher which pitch they should throw? Can't the pitcher just decide for himself? If not, can't the catcher use a different system for signs that's not extremely easily "stealable"? Maybe a little clicker that goes to an earpiece in the pitcher's ear. Two clicks for a fastball, one for a changeup, etc. This is the major leagues, they pay the pitchers $10K+ per pitch. With the money they have available it would be easy to make a device that could send an unstealable signal to the pitcher if you absolutely have to send a signal.
If you ask me, stealing signs shouldn't be cheating. The catcher is openly showing the sign. If you can figure out what it means, that's his problem. Do a better job of hiding it or mixing it up. Look at what every college football team does to send plays in with those boards. They make it hard to figure out what the actual signal is because they are showing it in the open. If this was baseball, they would write down the play in detail on the big card and then demand the other team not look at it. Then, they would kick each player in the family jewels if they did and expect no punishment.
Also there are 72 offensive plays in your average NCAA football game and each team generally has three guys signalling in the play - one with the actual play and two more who are decoys. If they are using cards there often is only one or two of the four images on the card that actually mean something. In addition there is a pretty big roster of plays they could be calling in. The same play is generally not run more than a handful of times in a game.Yikes. To put simply, as you get older, and guys start throwing breaking pitches and start throwing harder, you have to know what is coming, so you can actually catch it. I had major hand surgery after shattering my knuckle because I to this day swear I called a slider and the pitcher threw a fastball and it went off the pad. You catch fastballs different than you catch breaking pitches, than you catch change-ups etc. Watch when in MLB when pitchers and catchers get mixed up, it is a clown show.
Also, you do mix it up. You decide before the game which indicator you go on once a guy gets to second. You sometimes use hand fingers signals, sometimes you use body/hand signals. Sometimes you decide before the game to throw a certain pitch in a certain situation.
Patriots have been busted several times for stealing teams signs and what not. Astros just got caught, just like the Patriots. Those boards in football are there so the teams can go fast, so the defense can't substitute, they aren't really there to confuse anyone. I'm sure at halftime they have it pretty much figured out.
Also, pitchers are dumb meat sticks that have no idea how to actually manage a lineup, they just throw. I think this is the entire premise of Bull Durham.
Signed,
Caught all my life until I was in my 30s
More evidence that baseball needs to eliminate its "unwritten rules." Baseball has so many stupid traditions.
Steal signs by looking at a guy from second base? Ok-ish. Steal signs using cameras? Not Ok.
As someone who never played baseball beyond little league, what I don't understand is why there are "signs" in the first place. Why does a catcher need to signal to the pitcher which pitch they should throw? Can't the pitcher just decide for himself? If not, can't the catcher use a different system for signs that's not extremely easily "stealable"? Maybe a little clicker that goes to an earpiece in the pitcher's ear. Two clicks for a fastball, one for a changeup, etc. This is the major leagues, they pay the pitchers $10K+ per pitch. With the money they have available it would be easy to make a device that could send an unstealable signal to the pitcher if you absolutely have to send a signal.
If you ask me, stealing signs shouldn't be cheating. The catcher is openly showing the sign. If you can figure out what it means, that's his problem. Do a better job of hiding it or mixing it up. Look at what every college football team does to send plays in with those boards. They make it hard to figure out what the actual signal is because they are showing it in the open. If this was baseball, they would write down the play in detail on the big card and then demand the other team not look at it. Then, they would kick each player in the family jewels if they did and expect no punishment.