MLB banned in-game video access last season as a result of the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and as part of their health and safety protocols in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
No Los Angeles Dodgers player was impacted more heavily by the rule change than Corey Seager, who on several occasions voiced his frustration with the new policy. Seager and players throughout the league still had access to video via iPads in the dugout, but clips were limited to prior games.
Video access is expected to improve this season, as players will be able to watch in-game at-bats. Albeit still on an iPad in the dugout and with catcher signs blurred out.
“How that’s going to work, I don’t really know,” Seager said.
Despite being stripped of a tool he often relied on, Seager had nothing short of an impressive 2020 campaign. He batted .307/.358/.585 with 12 doubles, 15 home runs and 41 RBI, and carried that success into the postseason en route to earning MVP honors in the National League Championship Series and World Series.
“I don’t know if I was OK with it. We just kind of had to,” Seager said of adjusting to a new norm. “It was something you had to do and there was no way around it. There was no reason to dwell on not being able to have it.
“It wasn’t going to happen regardless, so you kind of just had to do what you needed to do.”
Roberts saw silver lining with no in-game video
Although players throughout the league voiced their disappointment with live in-game video being eliminated, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saw some positive.
Video room access being closed off meant players were essentially forced to remain in the dugout at all times. Roberts believed that helped keep them in tune with every development and also more involved with teammates.
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