MLB to let pitchers fight back against sign-stealing with new technology

The MLB will begin using PitchCom, a technological system that allows pitchers and catchers to communicate signals electronically to prevent sign-stealing.

In a major development to ensure the integrity of the sport, the league has allowed pitchers and catchers to have the option of using technology that allows them to combat sign-stealing.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the league sent a memo on April 5 informing teams about the approved usage of signaling devices, commonly known as PitchCom.

Here’s how PitchCom works: “Using a pad with buttons on the wrist of the gloved hand, a catcher can signal pitches — pitch type and location — directly to the pitcher through a listening device.”

One league executive compared PitchCom to the quarterback headset device that the NFL has employed league-wide since 1994. The PitchCom system allows MLB teams to avoid giving hand signals, which has led to scandals like the 2017 World Series Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal that still reverberates throughout the league.

MLB is fighting back against sign-stealing with PitchCom electronic signal system

While Olney originally reported the news, MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Jeff Passan chimed in on the topic with more details about their expected use in the 2022 MLB season.

According to Olney, New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino and catcher Kyle Higashioka used PitchCom in a game Saturday.

“I think it was great,” Severino told reporters. “I was a little doubtful at the beginning, but when we started using it, it was really good — with a man on second, too. I would definitely like to use it in my first start [of the regular season]. … You know what pitch you’re going to throw right away.”