The Los Angeles Angels reportedly fired pro scout Justin “Boomer” Prinstein after he was caught filming Colorado Rockies coaches while he was working in the stands, according to The Athletic.
Prinstein, who referred to himself as “The Baseball Spy,” was fired by the Angels immediately after Major League Baseball informed the team of Prinstein’s alleged actions.
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Prinstein reportedly ran afoul of the Rockies — and eventually MLB — after he was spotted filming Rockies coaches with his phone while on an advance scouting trip before the Angels played the Rockies in early June. While scouts filming is acceptable under MLB rules, using technology to steals opponents’ signs is frowned upon by the league.
The Rockies reported the issue to MLB, and the league contacted the Angels about Prinstein’s alleged actions. Angels general manager Perry Minasian reportedly fired Prinstein immediately and apologized to the Rockies’ front office, per The Athletic. The Angels are not facing punishment from the league, as it’s believed Prinstein acted on his own.
When contacted by The Athletic, the Angels, Rockies and MLB declined comment on the situation. Prinstein, who owns the handle @TheBaseballSpy on social media, did not respond to interview requests made by The Athletic.
Prinstein was in the midst of his first season with the Angels. The previous two seasons, he spent time working for two separate Korean Baseball Organization teams. Prior to that, he worked for the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, per The Athletic.
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Using technology to decode signs has been among the biggest issues within the sport in recent years. In the wake of the Houston Astros’ trash-can banging, sign-stealing scandal, the league has attempted to come down hard on MLB teams that use technology to try and steal signs.
The league also reportedly took action against a similar situation around the All-Star break, as it informed teams to stop using artificial intelligence in the dugout to inform strategy. The issues are different, though both pertain to teams using technology in order to gain an edge. In both instances, MLB has made it clear that won’t be tolerated.
Sign stealing is allowed in baseball, but only if done naturally. If a player picks up on a pitcher’s tell during a game or can read signs made by other players or coaches on the field, that’s OK provided the player who decoded the sign did not use technology to gain an edge.
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That practice is often kept secret, as teams that gain an edge on opponents don’t want their advantage to be ruined in later matchups. Sometimes, though, spotting players relaying signs to teammates can be obvious during games. This mostly occurs when players are on second base and can see how a pitcher grips a ball in their glove. If the player on second base can tell, that player may perform a specific gesture while on second to let the batter know what pitch is coming next. The New York Yankees were accused of that exact thing late last season.
If Prinstein was using his phone to try and decode signs from Rockies coaches — and it’s unclear whether that’s the case — it had the potential to turn into a much bigger scandal within the sport. The Angels seemingly got ahead of that by firing Prinstein, and that decision may have saved them from being punished by MLB as well.
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