D-backs manager Chip Hale: Hacking ‘too much’ for baseball

Stealing signs and trying to gain a competitive advantage is one thing.

However, to steal information from an organization’s personal database is something completely different in the eyes of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale.

After reports surfaced Tuesday that the St. Louis Cardinals were under FBI investigation for hacking into the files of the Houston Astros, Hale told Burns & Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that the latest reported step was too far.

“It’s a little bit too much for baseball,” Hale said. “We’re getting a little bit too stealth here in this with all this stuff.”

Hale said he has no idea how much of his information could be stored in major league databases, as he has filled out reports dating back to his days managing in the minor leagues.

“You have all these papers and file cabinets and I remember when I was in the minor leagues as a manager, all the reports I filled out,” Hale said. “God only knows where all those things are now if somebody’s logged them into computers. Who knows? But it’s still just baseball between the lines.”

Hale said the move reflects the increased emphasis in technology in the modern game of baseball.

“The guys running these computer systems, they’re some smart guys, man,” Hale said. “They just want to prove they can do it. I don’t know how they’d use that information.”

Major League Baseball issued a statement Tuesday saying they will wait until after the government investigation is complete to decide whether or not they will hand down discipline.