Major League Baseball is investigating the possibility that an Arizona Diamondbacks coach used an electronic watch to enhance his team’s ability to steal signs during Wednesday night’s wild-card playoff win over the Rockies, an MLB source confirmed Thursday.
However, the Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon said that the watch worn by Ariel Prieto was not used to gain an unfair advantage during Arizona’s 11-8 victory. The Diamondbacks advanced to the National League division series against the Dodgers, which begins Friday in Los Angeles.
“Ariel Prieto has assured us that this was a simple oversight and honest mistake,” the Diamondbacks said in a statement. “The watch he wore last night was absolutely not used in any way related to our game and we will make certain prior to the NLDS that it will not be an issue again. Ariel takes full responsibility and feels terrible that this has been a distraction of any kind.”
According to a report in the New York Post, MLB was trying to determine if Prieto was using the electronic watch to convey stolen signs to Diamondbacks players.
Wednesday’s incident occurred three weeks after Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the Boston Red Sox used electronic communication from the dugout, as well as video cameras, to steal opponents’ signs and relay them to Boston players during games. The Red Sox were fined an undisclosed amount, and Manfred said in a statement that “all 30 clubs have been notified that future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of draft picks.”
MLB rules prohibit any electronic equipment on the bench that have internet capabilities. It is baseball’s attempt to prevent teams from using high-tech electronics to steal signs. Laptop computers, provided by MLB, are allowed in dugouts, but they are internet-disabled.
The Red Sox’s actions were brought to MLB’s attention by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who filed a complaint with Manfred’s office. According to The New York Times, Cashman supplied video of what the Yankees said was a Red Sox trainer looking at his Apple Watch, and then relaying information to players during a series between the teams in Boston.
