Los Angeles Angels reliever Taylor Cole is not satisfied with MLB’s handling of the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
Cole posted a note on Instagram Monday where he talked about former Astros manager A.J. Hinch’s interview with MLB Network that aired on Friday. Hinch, who was suspended a season as punishment for his role in the scandal, was later fired by the Astros.
The manager spoke with Tom Verducci and offered a troubling non-denial when asked about the electronic buzzers.
Cole addressed that matter in his Instagram post and said he wants more investigation by the league into that possibility.
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. In the interview, Hinch said he hit the monitors with a bat in two separate situations indicating he wasn’t okay with it, but never had a team meeting about it and never told the guys to stop when he heard the banging in the dugout of the relaying of signs. Doesn’t sound like someone that was wanting this to stop as he was benefiting in a major way while players jobs were being derailed and families lives affected. One year seems like a nice bargain if you ask me. I also have reason to believe it happened in the Astros minor league system as well which is never talked about.
There were rumors about Astros players being signaled pitches via electronic buzzers, with some videos of Jose Altuve heightening the public’s suspicion. MLB said in response to the rumors that they investigated but did not find enough evidence to substantiate the claims. Clearly that’s not enough for Cole, especially after seeing Hinch’s non-denial.
Keep in mind this about Cole: the 30-year-old had a 5.92 ERA last season. He faced the Astros more than any team and allowed 8 runs and 14 hits over 9.2 innings against them — a 7.45 ERA. He’s angry because he struggled against them and now has to wonder whether they were cheating to have an edge against him. He’s not the only one who is rightfully going after Houston about this.
The Houston Astros are confirmed cheaters and deserve an asterisk. Send that message by wearing our Houston Asterisks T-shirt! You can buy it here:
