Notes from 14 November 2019 episode of “Effectively Wild”

• Scott Boras is a sports agent representing some of the game’s highest-profile players

• Approximately 175 clients from MLB

• Report this week confirmed that the Houston Astros were stealing signs in 2017

• Astros directed camera on catcher
• Players watched video in the tunnel and banged on trash cans loudly enough to indicate to batters which type of pitch was coming
• Why did Mike Fiers, previous Astros pitcher, wait two years before blowing the whistle?
• Did they break rules? Apparently, yes.
• Knowing the pitch did not help them, as evident from their better performance on the road versus at home (where they cheated)

Article explaining the difference between on-base percentage and batting average