The Los Angeles Angels fired scout Justin “Boomer” Prinstein, who calls himself “The Baseball Spy,” earlier this season.
According to The Athletic, Prinstein was fired after he was seen filming Colorado Rockies coaches with a cellphone in his hand while working in the stands.
Prinstein was out on a scouting assignment, just before the Angels were set to host the Rockies from June 1-3, when he was reportedly spotted filming their coaches during a game by a member of the Colorado organization.
Despite filming by scouts being considered a legal practice, The Athletic reported that former Angels general manager Perry Minasian fired Prinstein right away and apologized to the Rockies front office, including their team president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, and general manager Josh Byrnes.
The Athletic went on and reported that Prinstein recorded on his own will, and the Angels will not face any punishment by Major League Baseball.
What Prinstein was filming remains a mystery.
Since the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2020, Major League Baseball has tightened the rules on the use of video, and has continuously cracked down on any method that could help a team get an unfair advantage.
Prinstein was originally hired by the Angels in December, after previously working as an international scout with the Cincinnati Reds since 2023.
Before working with the Reds, Prinstein’s LinkedIn page says he wrote articles as a freelancer and worked as a podcast host of the show “The Baseball Spy,” where he covered the Astros sign-stealing scandal.
“The Baseball Spy” had a lifespan of five years but only featured two episodes between 2019-2024.
