Home / MLB / Pete Rose Reveals the 1 Way He Would Combat Sign-Stealing in Major League Baseball Pete Rose Reveals the 1 Way He Would Combat Sign-Stealing in Major League Baseball Written by Sports EditorJoe Kozlowski Updated –Jan 13, 2020 We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team. In every sport, players and coaches are willing to push the envelope in order to win. While it’s easy to focus on the NFL’s New England Patriots as the pinnacle of the dark arts, Major League Baseball is in the midst of its own sign-stealing scandal. Former Cincinnati Reds player and manager Pete Rose, however, has an idea to fix that problem. For all of Rose’s personal and professional issues, he still knows a great deal about the game of baseball. His proposal to stop sign-stealing, however, is a bit unconventional. Major League Baseball’s current sign-stealing scandals Stealing signs occupies somewhat of a moral gray area. While there’s nothing wrong with observing the other team and manually figuring out their signals, using technology to observe your opposition is generally frowned upon. The Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox both reportedly crossed that line. According to The Athletic, the Astros used a camera placed in center field to observe the opposing catcher’s signals. That video feed ran into the team’s clubhouse tunnel, where a staffer was watching on a monitor; when a specific pitch was on the way, someone would bang on a trash can to alert the batter. While the Red Sox used a slightly different technique, they also relied on video feeds to gain an advantage. The Athletic once again broke the story, reporting that the club used the replay room to decipher the catcher’s signals; information was passed from the replay room to the baserunners, who would then tell the batters what pitch was on the way. How would Pete Rose stop sign-stealing? Pete Rose may have gotten in trouble with Major League Baseball by betting on his own team, but there’s one line he insists that he never crossed: stealing signs. Rose explained that he was afraid of receiving misinformation from his own teammates. “He might not have the signs, he might tell you wrong,” Rose told TMZ Sports. “Now, if you’re looking for a low-and-away breaking ball, and the guy throws an up-and-in fastball, you just got one off the kisser.” While Charlie Hustle might not have used stolen signs and insists that current scandals are no big deal, he still has an idea for preventing cheating at home plate. The players, he insists, should take matters into their own hands. “Just throw one right at his head, and he’ll get away from stealing signs,” Rose said. “You police your own area. Baseball players have knowledge on how to police the area when it needs to be policed.” How can we prevent sign-stealing (without listening to Pete Rose)? Obviously, Pete Rose’s proposal isn’t the answer. Throwing at someone’s head is incredibly dangerous, and, no matter how egregious you feel your opponent’s behavior is, hurting them isn’t acceptable. According to Tom Verducci, the league is considering two options; thankfully, neither of them includes violence. One potential solution, which has previously been floated by Joe Girardi, would give pitchers and catchers headsets or earpieces, similar to NFL coaches and quarterbacks. If the two are communicating verbally, rather than with hand signals, the isn’t anything for the opposition to observe. Major League is also reportedly considering tightening the rules around video rooms and restricting their in-game feeds to replays. If nothing else, harshly penalizing sign-stealing should make other teams think twice. No matter what happens, though, throwing at the batter’s head isn’t the answer, even if Pete Rose suggested it. Written by Sports EditorJoe Kozlowski Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win. All posts by Joe Kozlowski
Veronika Kudermetova Wins 1st Grand Slam, 2025 Wimbledon Doubles, With Elise Mertens wendioliveros, 6H #Tennis
#NASCAR Erik Jones Reveals Strategy For In-Season Challenge Battle With Teammate John Hunter Nemechek Jared Turner, 15H #NASCAR
#Tennis Wimbledon Champion Iga Swiatek Receives A Special Gift And Inspires A Culinary Debate wendioliveros, 20H #Tennis
#NASCAR NASCAR Xfinity Series Fans Respond With Thumbs-Up To Connor Zilisch Earning Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 Title At Sonoma Raceway Jeff Hawkins, 20H #NASCAR