The Red Sox also lose a second-round draft pick as part of their punishment. In 76 career at-bats with the Cardinals and Rangers, he hit .224. MLB’s punishment for the Astros was more severe because it concluded the club had used cameras to steal signs from opposing teams, allowing batters to tell which pitches to expect. 2012: Patrick Wisdom, 3B, Cardinals: At age 28, he’s with the Mariners, his third organization, and was set to start the season in the minors. was a standout catcher at West Point, drafted by the Red Sox in the 10th round in 2012. … The punishment will be met with relief by many Red Sox fans. The scandal has tarnished the Astros’ reputation and provoked anger from players around the league. Let’s look at a 10-year period from 2005 through 2014, which goes back far enough for even high school players to have developed. Red Sox CEO and president Sam Kennedy doesn’t quite see it that way. How the Houston Astros went from champions to a shamed shambles. 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MLB handed down heavy penalties – including a $5m fine and a loss of first-round draft … Studying recent draft history helps to gauge the severity of surrendering the 52nd overall pick. “At the end of the day, we all clearly could have done a better job, and we need to do a better job as we go forward,” Kennedy said. Twisted Tea Thursdays with Chase Winovich, Take Our Listener Survey and Get in the Running For A Restaurant Gift Card, © 98.5 The Sports Hub - Boston's Home For Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub - Boston's Home For Sports. And the no-name video-replay-room guy is now the no-pay, ex-video-replay-room guy. He is not being punished for … The Red Sox are expected to receive "no more than a light punishment" from Major League Baseball once it concludes its investigation of the team's alleged 2018 sign-stealing plot, USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported Friday, citing two officials involved in the investigation. Regardless of what value you place on the pick, it doesn’t change how troubling it is that everyone seems just fine with pinning it all on a faceless scapegoat. In the end, the Red Sox coasted compared to the Astros. In a minor-league career interrupted by two years of service in the Army, Watkins batted .184 in 294 at-bats. The only Red Sox employee punished: an advance scout who doubled as a replay room operator, who was suspended for the 2020 season. The punishment will be met with relief by many Red Sox fans. If we are to treat the commissioner’s report as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, then we are to believe that Watkins knew the rules, but the players weren’t as up to speed. Clearly, this was a case of a bad seed leading Boy Scouts astray. Your Child Could Be A Junior Interviewer On A Zoom Call with Grande & Max! Manfred said that Watkins “on at least some occasions during the 2018 regular season, utilized the game feeds in the replay room, in violation of MLB regulations, to revise sign sequence information that he had permissibly provided to players prior to the game.” However, unlike the Astros, Watkins’ missteps were “far more limited in scope and impact.”, Manfred added that Cora, the coaching staff and most Red Sox players did not know “that Watkins was utilizing in-game video to update the information that he had learned from his pregame analysis.”. None of the cheating Red Sox players were punished or even identified. The Red Sox relieved Cora of his duties soon after reports of the Astros scandal emerged. The Red Sox did not contest the findings. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected]. Here are the key details: --The Red Sox will lose a 2020 second-round draft pick --Former manager Alex Cora has been suspended through the 2020 playoffs, although this ban is only the result of his conduct as Astros bench coach in 2017. This is not West Point, where the honor code states: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do.”. 2011: Blake Snell, LHP, Rays: Ding, ding, ding, ding! The organization was penalized by surrendering its 2020 second-round draft choice. 2014: Aramis Garcia, C, Giants: Has hit .229 in 105 big-league at-bats. He bounced into a double play in his only big-league at-bat, with the Rays in 2018. 2007: Matt Mangini, 3B, Mariners: Hit .211 in his only 38 big-league at-bats in 2010 and retired from the minors in 2012. Original podcasts, and the shows you missed, on rewind! Sadly, he finally has made a name for himself, and in the process has learned that if you’re not a member of the millionaires and billionaires club, you had better be ready to take the fall. And the Red Sox organization has had an awfully tough time memorizing the rule book. “The organization is facing a severe penalty,” Kennedy said. In 2016, five Red Sox prospects were granted free agency because the organization was found guilty of overpaying non-prospects from Latin America with the understanding that some of that money would be funneled to actual prospects, a way of skirting the limits placed on signing bonuses. There are rules and regulations that we all sign up for, that we all need to abide by, and we’re going to do that.”. “MLB acknowledged the front office’s extensive efforts to communicate and enforce the rules and concluded that Alex Cora, the coaching staff, and most of the players did not engage in, nor were they aware of, any violations. The Red Sox also lose a second-round draft pick as part of their punishment. “Those who suspected that Watkins was using the replay system largely did not understand that it was a violation of the rules because the evolving rules landscape had not been adequately explained to players,” the report stated. His new nickname is The Scapegoat. 2006: Sean Watson, RHP, Reds: Went 18-21 with a 4.13 ERA in six seasons in the minors. That wasn't much of a surprise. Video replay operator J.T. Commissioner Rob Manfred, who represents the billionaire owners, sent a clear message to the millionaire ballplayers he is charged to oversee: Continue to cheat without fear of consequence, and if you get caught, we’ll find somebody from outside our country club and income bracket to take the fall. Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. The penalty reflects widely reported beliefs that the Red Sox' alleged actions are minor in comparison to those of the Astros, who took a much stiffer hit for their sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 season. “As an organization, we strive for 100% compliance with the rules. 2008: Brad Hand, LHP, Marlins: A reliever with the Indians, his third organization, he is the second-most successful player on this list. The team’s former manager, Alex Cora, is suspended for the 2020 season but only for his part in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing operation, which MLB had already investigated.