The Los Angeles Angels have been rocked by a new scandal. This comes after one of the team’s pro scouts was fired for an incident where he allegedly filmed the Colorado Rockies coaches with a cell phone while sitting in the stands. The Athletic was first to report the story.
The scout, Justin “Boomer” Prinstein, calls himself “The Baseball Spy.” He was fired by the Angels shortly after the team was alerted of the incident by MLB. Prinstein had been hired by the Angels in December of 2025.
The incident occurred at the end of May in Coors Field. That was just before the Angels were set to host the Rockies for a three-game series in Anaheim. That was a series in which the Rockies took two of three from the Angels.
It was a member of the Rockies organization who spotted Prinstein. The use of technology to steal or decode signs isn’t allowed, and is considered different from general filming done by scouts.
Perry Minasian, who was the Angels GM at the time, fired Prinstein immediately. He also apologized to the Rockies in private. It’s widely believed Prinstein acted alone. As such, the Angels aren’t facing punishment from MLB.
The Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal was similarly controversial in that the team used technology to steal and decode signs during games. Michigan football was hit with a similar sign-stealing scandal when Connor Stalions attended games of upcoming opponents to illegally film coaches.
About Former Los Angeles Angels Scout Justin Prinstein
Justin Prinstein had been with the Los Angeles Angels since December. Prior to that, he had been a scout in Korea for multiple organizations. In 2023, he last worked in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds. He has also apparently worked as a consultant for Scouts Consulting Group LLC.
42 years old, Prinstein holds the Twitter/X handle @TheBaseballSpy. That account is now locked, and he has not made any formal statements since the incident became public.
On top of that, Prinstein has written articles and had a podcast under the name “The Baseball Spy.” In that, he even discussed the Astros sign-stealing scandal.
The Angels previously employed five pro scouts in 2025. However, they were adding to that department going into 2026, with Prinstein filling that role.
It’s Been a Long Season for the Los Angeles Angels
The sign-stealing scandal is embarrassing for the Angels. However, that comes in what has been a very difficult season overall for the team.
At 40-61, the Angels have the worst record in the American League. It’s also the second-worst record in all of MLB. That’s also good for 11.0 games out of the AL West, which is led by the Seattle Mariners at just one game above .500 on the season.
Those struggles would eventually lead to the firing of Perry Minasian as the team’s GM. He’s since been replaced by John Mozeliak.
Now, Mozeliak is being tasked with navigating the trade deadline for the Angels. They’re clear sellers, but he has to quickly decide which pieces are worth selling off and which ones the team should hold onto and try to build around in the future.
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