MLBPA let down its members by not allowing punishment of Houston Astros players
The Houston Astros are reportedly contemplating hiring Dusty Baker and ex-Texas Ranger Jeff Banister to be their new manager, and both are solid choices to help repair the smeared reputation of that franchise.
They cannot, however, repair the damage that has been done to the Astros players themselves, from guys like Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa to Jose Altuve and the rest. The Astros’ success is now tainted, and this will follow them forever.
All of them benefited from the Astros’ electronic scheme, and they were given a free pass.
The punishment handed down by MLB commish Rob Manfred was serious; a $5 million fine to the Astros, docking of high draft picks, and a year-long suspension of two managerial positions is something. It’s also a pitch off the plate.
Manfred owes it to the 25 guys on the 29 other rosters to correct this, which means conceding something to the player’s union. A few players have to feel this one, and the Union owes it to the rest of the brothers to insist this isn’t done.
The only reason the players have walked is because the league wants no part of a drawn out series of grievances filed on behalf of the players had MLB actually enforced a penalty. There is no better union in America than the MLB Player’s Association, but right now the union is not serving its entire constituency.
Its serving 25 or so guys.
“People are losing jobs because of the Astros,” Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun said last week after a workout session at team’s facility in West Dallas. “People are getting sent down [to the minors]. Someone had to speak up.”
MLB, and the player’s union, are disregarding the other people on the other side of the Astros’ success. They pay union dues, too.
The union succeeded in protecting the Houston Astros players, but it failed in serving the interests of the players for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, etc.
Per a report in the The Wall Street Journal, MLB basically cut a deal with the MLBPA to complete a fast, honest, investigation. In exchange for candor from the players during the investigation, no one was to be punished.
The sign-stealing was, “player driven” and the only ones punished were the GM and the manager. That’s not right.
MLB is not stupid; fans pay money to watch name players succeed. It’s one of the many reasons the steroid era lasted as long as it did. MLB doesn’t want Jose Altuve on the bench for an entire year.
Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward explained why what the Astros did, and likely a few other clubs, too, is so significant.
“I know when I came up to the big leagues, in Triple A, it was never addressed to look at signs,” Woodward said. “The second I got to the big leagues, it was demanded of me to pay attention to signs. Make sure you know what the pitchers are doing.
“Once as a player you understand things around the game, whether a pitcher is tipping his changeup. You can see the signs from second and relay it to a hitter. Those things are unwritten things as a player. Now, I knew a curve ball was coming. I didn’t hit a home run on the curve ball but I knew it was coming, and I may have gotten out. But it changed your perspective.”
This is acceptable gamesmanship. There is potential error involved. What the Astros did was to eliminate the error and almost guarantee the batter knew what was coming.
Jose Altuve may know L.A. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is about to throw a breaking ball. Altuve still has to hit the Clayton Kershaw breaking ball. The odds are still bad, but they’re better.
“It’s different. It changes kinda of everything. You can’t say I hit a home run because I knew it was coming,” Woodward said. “If I didn’t know, maybe I still hit a home run. You just don’t know from pitch to pitch. I know when you understand those things it makes you more confident.
“So even when you don’t get it, you’re still confident that you are in the know of what is happening around you. It changes your perspective on everything.”
The Astros have been loaded the last three years, which explains why they have won more than 100 games in each of the past three seasons more than any piece of electronic equipment. They were going to be fine without a camera, trash can and HDTV.
Barry Bonds was also the most talented player in the game, and he didn’t need a syringe. He made a business decision.
The only difference is one is being punished by being held out of the Hall of Fame, while the Astros walk.
That’s not right. The MLBPA doesn’t just represent the Houston Astros. Serve the best interests of all your constituents rather than just 25 and make sure a few players feel this.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
