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Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers have been the team that has probably been most affected by the sign-stealing era of the MLB. And while teams are moving on from the issue, it's still something that lingers in the back of their minds as a “what-if” scenario had sign-stealing not been so prevalant during the late 2010s.
Given their disdain towards anyone involved with sign-stealing, the Dodgers drew some attention when they decided to hire J.T. Watkins to their coaching staff. Watkins was formerly a video replay coordinator for the Boston Red Sox, and played a prominent role in their sign-stealing scandal. So why would the Dodgers hire someone with Watkins' background? Roberts recently elaborated on what he knew would be a confusing move for fans to understand.
“Manager Dave Roberts said of Watkins’ responsibilities: ‘I think it's just to give us whatever competitive advantage that we can get on the preparation side, the potential opposition pitchers, tendencies, and also work with our hitting guys closely.' Asked if he knew how that sounded, Roberts replied, ‘I do. But I don’t want to say, ‘Within the rules.' It should be, without saying, within the rules.' Roberts said he didn’t hold anything against Watkins because an employee in his position would have to do what he’s told if he wants to keep his job.” – Dylan Hernandez, Los Angeles Times
Watkins obviously won't be tasked with stealing signs for the Dodgers, but given his background, it was obviously going to be something many folks were confused about in the aftermath of his hiring. It will be interesting to see whether fans hold it against the Dodgers, but chances are if the team is OK with Watkins, the fans will be as well.
