The Los Angeles Angels dismissed advance scout Justin Prinstein after reports he was filmed recording Colorado Rockies coaches from the stands at Coors Field, according to reporting from Fox News and The Athletic. Prinstein, who has used the nickname “The Baseball Spy” on social media, was removed from his role after Major League Baseball opened an inquiry into the incident.
The move came swiftly after the series in Denver. League sources alerted the Angels, and the club’s front office took immediate action while MLB continued a targeted review of what happened during the games, the outlets reported.
Justin Prinstein: how he was caught
Reporting from The Athletic says Prinstein was seated in the designated scout section at Coors Field and used a smartphone to record members of the Rockies’ coaching staff. The Athletic’s account described the recording as visible to other fans and stadium staff, which helped bring the activity to light quickly.
Multiple accounts relayed to Fox News indicate that someone in the ballpark noticed the recording and notified MLB. The league then informed Angels management, and Perry Minasian — the club executive overseeing baseball operations — confronted and then terminated Prinstein’s employment, Fox News reported.
Observers noted that Prinstein’s apparent use of a handheld phone, rather than more covert or specialized gear, made the action easier to spot for bystanders. The scout’s online handle, “The Baseball Spy,” attracted attention on social media as the reports circulated.
MLB electronics ban and context
Major League Baseball maintains strict limits on the use of personal electronics for recording or decoding on-field signals. Those rules were tightened after the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, which prompted a wide-ranging investigation and led to disciplinary measures across the league.
The Astros investigation resulted in penalties that included club fines, the loss of draft picks, and suspensions for personnel tied to the scheme, prompting MLB to reinforce policies designed to prevent similar abuses. The current electronics restrictions prohibit recording coaches or attempting to decode signals from the stands or other unauthorized locations.
Officials have said the rules are intended to protect the integrity of in-game communication and ensure that competitive advantages are not gained through unauthorized recordings. Teams are required to educate staff and enforce protocols around permitted equipment and scout conduct during road games.
Reactions, consequences and club response
Fox News reported that the Angels acted quickly after MLB notified them of the recording. According to that reporting, Perry Minasian confronted Prinstein and terminated his employment at the club’s direction. The Athletic’s coverage echoed the account of a prompt club response.
As reported by both outlets, MLB’s review concluded the scout acted alone, and no evidence was found tying the Angels organization to a broader scheme. Because the league determined this was an individual breach rather than an organizational practice, the Angels were not fined and did not lose draft picks in connection with this incident, the reports said.
People familiar with the matter described the episode as embarrassing for the club and a reminder of the sensitivity around electronics and scouting practices. The reports emphasized that while the action violated MLB policy, it did not appear to involve other club staff or a coordinated effort to cheat.
What comes next for Prinstein and the Angels
Prinstein’s immediate outcome was termination. For an advance scout, who depends on professional credibility and trust inside the league, a documented breach of MLB electronics policies can have lasting consequences for career prospects. Other teams may be reluctant to hire staff implicated in rule violations that attract league scrutiny.
For the Angels, MLB’s finding that the scout acted alone limited the regulatory fallout. Still, the incident is likely to prompt internal reviews of training, supervision and travel policies for scouts and operations staff. Teams commonly follow such episodes with refresher briefings and clarified guidance to reduce the risk of repeat violations.
In practical terms, the Angels will need to reassign or replace the advance-scouting duties Prinstein carried out for upcoming series, ensure any collected scouting materials are handled per league rules, and demonstrate to MLB and stakeholders that compliance measures are in place.
Beyond immediate personnel changes, the episode underscores the reputational risk individual staff actions pose to clubs. Even isolated breaches can attract intense public scrutiny and raise questions about organizational oversight, making rapid cooperation with MLB and transparent corrective steps important.
This article followed the planned structure: a concise lede naming Justin Prinstein and the firing, labeled sections describing how he was caught, an explanation of MLB’s electronics ban with Astros context, and a section on reactions and next steps. The reporting cited here relies on Fox News and The Athletic as the primary sources for the timeline and league findings.
Source attribution: Key factual claims in this report — including the scout’s recording at Coors Field, the Angels’ on‑the‑spot termination by Perry Minasian, and MLB’s determination that the scout acted alone — are drawn from reporting by Fox News and The Athletic. See Fox News: Los Angeles Angels fired advance scout nicknamed ‘Baseball Spy’ after he was caught filming Rockies, and coverage in The Athletic for the initial accounts.
