Is it Time to Move on From the Houston Astros Cheating Scandal?
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Some have called it the "biggest cheating scandal in North American sports history" referring to the Houston Astros' sign-stealing saga that marred the 2017 Major League Baseball season and World Series.
Now, nearly five years removed from the scandal and all but a handful of the culprits remain it begs the question:
It is time to move on?
To answer the question, we need a little bit of background.
That 2017 team used cameras in center field and other technology to steal signs from opposing teams, so the Astros could relay information from the video room to the dugout with the decoded signals.
Those decoded signals would then be relayed to the hitters in the batter's box via different modes, perhaps the most famous was the banging on a trashcan so the hitters would know what type of pitch was about to be thrown.
This arguably unprecedented advantage gave Houston an inarguable upper hand against opposing teams and their pitching.
When it all came to a head, the team was fined $5 million, general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were both suspended and Houston lost first and second-round picks in both the 2020 and 2021 MLB drafts.
Since then, Luhnow and Hinch are no longer with the organization and all but José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel are playing elsewhere or retired.
The punishment was stiff, Houston paid for it, and since then have gone on to win five American League West championships and two American League pennants.
New stars have emerged in Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, Jeremy Peña and lest we forget Yordan Álvarez. All of which were not a part of the organization at the MLB level during the time of the cheating scandal.
Their farm system, while many believed would be ravaged by the loss of draft picks, has flourished in the player development area. They continue to produce Major League talent, no need to look further than Peña who has all but replaced the production of Carlos Correa, and most recently starting pitcher Hunter Brown.
They continue to overcome and succeed. It's a testament to the organization.
Now during this 2022 MLB season, the Astros have once again secured the AL West title and are all but a lock to secure the first seed in the AL. They have done all of this without cheating, mostly without players blemished by the 2017 scandal, and have become one of the most professional sports organizations in the industry. Not just baseball, but all of sports.
It is hard to continue to point to the cheating scandal as their source of success. It's also becoming increasingly difficult to remain enraged at the saga, especially considering how quickly those forget in this space we call sports.
As the boos from the opposing teams grow just a bit quieter every game and the names of the burgeoning stars grow louder on the lips of baseball fans everywhere, maybe, just maybe, it's finally time to move on.
More From SI's Inside The Astros:
- Could Mike Trout Request a Trade to the Houston Astros?
- Report: Former Astros Pitcher Fiers' Contract Terminated By CPBL Club
- Can the Houston Astros Handle the Loss of Yordan Álvarez?
- Is There Any Hope for an Aging Yuli Gurriel?
- Grading the Houston Astros MLB Trade Deadline Transactions
- Jeremy Peña isn't Competing for Rookie of the Year, And That's a Good Thing
- Houston Astros Poised to Make Another World Series Run
- Mancini Mania: Behind the Houston Astros' Latest Streak of History
- Trey Mancini Gives Houston Astros a Much Deeper Lineup
- Astros' Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball
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