I think it matters because electronic devices are explicitly banned. Sign stealing itself is okay so long as you don't use binoculars, electronic devices, etc.
Catcher makes a sign -> someone watching video electrically relays sign to dugout (in this case the athletic trainer who was receiving the info using Apple watch) -> info is relayed to an injured player on the bench (probably verbally) -> info is relayed to an outfielder (I guess who is a runner?) -> outfielder/runner relays information to batter with yet another set of signs.
Oh and all this was apparently going on without the knowledge of the manager or front office.
You don't need to use an Apple Watch when a runner is on second- they can see the signs directly from the catcher, that's why catchers put down multiple signs with a runner on second. When there's no baserunners or baserunners on first or third then the catcher typically uses just the standard signs and only one. It sounds to me like the sign stealing was going on when the "standard" signs were being used, I agree the article is confusing as to what is going on exactly. SMS doesn't sound fast enough for this purpose either.
[In baseball everyone is giving everyone else signs the whole game, it's how everyone communicates with each other to execute plays. Players need to know what other players are going to do to be able to work as a team. ]
> info is relayed to an outfielder using another set of signs (say touch the nose if fastball, touch cap if breaking ball, etc), outfielder relays information to batter with yet another set of signs.
Slight nitpick; the players in the field at a given time aren't on the same team as the batter, so the outfielders relaying signs to the batter doesn't make sense. However, Holt and Young are not starters for the Red Sox, so it's more like that one of them formed the part of the chain in between the trainer and the batter rather than an injured player and a fielder.
Yeah, I realized that after I posted that it didn't make sense so I edited it. I don't know why NY Times are referring to people on the bench and/or baserunners as "outfilders," it's ridiculously confusing to figure out what's exactly going on the way they explained it. I think the author must not be very familiar with baseball.
When talking about outfielder, the article was talking about a player who was passed info from a trainer while they were on the bench. His position was just mentioned for information.
That's what got me - I wouldn't call Brock Holt an outfielder, I would call him a utility man. He plays both infield and outfield regularly and has made starts at every position besides pitcher and catcher.
Opposing player on Second base could see the sign from the catcher and then sign his own back to dugout or player.
Player batting can see his own dugout or his own third base/first base manager and easily receive a signal from them.
As is now all major broadcasts easily show the catcher's sign and it can easily be decoded back to his pitches. Without the use of cheating you could only really get the signs today by having a player of your own on second base.
