When former SF Giants star Aubrey Huff advised Houston Astros players to don bulletproof vests post 2017 sign-stealing scandal
The Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal in 2017 rocked the MLB world. Former San Francisco Giants player Aubrey Huff, who was also alleged to be involved, warned Astros players to exercise extra caution in the wake of the scandal.
Huff told TMZ Sports in 2020 that the Astros would suffer greatly as a result of the complex, protracted sign-stealing plot. Huff went as far as to advise Astros players to don bulletproof vests during games.
“I would suggest a lot of those guys — especially [Jose] Altuve and [Alex] Bregman — wear bulletproof vests up to the plate all year long! Listen, you pay the piper. You reap what you sow. If you’re going to go out there and cheat, you’re going to get drilled.
"When you start using technology to cheat, that's when you cross the line and people are going to get hurt."
It was discovered that the Astros, who won the World Series in 2017, engaged in an unlawful sign-stealing conspiracy.
The plan called for deploying a camera system to record the signs of opposition teams, which were transmitted to Astros hitters (via a system of garbage can banging).
Aubrey Huff once spoke candidly about his debilitating gambling addiction
Late in his career, Huff developed an Adderall addiction and, after struggling with depression, considered taking his own life. He lost a lot of money gambling as well.
“I’d leave my family at home, my newborn babies, my wife, and I’d be out gambling till 4 or 5 in the morning, p**sing away tens of thousands of dollars, high as a kite," shared Huff to Mercury News in 2017.
Former Giant Aubrey Huff: ‘I was an absolute scumbag’ bayareane.ws/2jGKjk0 https://t.co/ZngeFT4IHb
"Former Giant Aubrey Huff: ‘I was an absolute scumbag’ http://bayareane.ws/2jGKjk0" - Bay Area Sports HQ
Aubrey Huff played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and San Francisco Giants during the course of 12 MLB seasons. He won two World Series titles with the Giants (2010, 2012).