Column: MLB whistleblower deserves applause, not criticism

When future generations are documenting baseball history, Mike Fiers will surely be remembered as one of the game's most significant figures.

Not necessarily for what he did on the field, though tossing a pair of no-hitters is certainly a worthy achievement.

Let's just hope all his fellow players give him a big tip of the cap when he takes the mound this season.

After all, Fiers blew the lid off one of the most nefarious schemes in the history of the national pastime, a scandal that ranks right up there with the Black Sox and the Steroids Era.

There will surely be some who view him as a back-stabbing snitch for going public with revelations that Houston cheated its way to a World Series title in 2017 by stealing signs, who will whisper — or even say right out loud — that he violated one of baseball's cardinal rules by revealing the secrets of the clubhouse.

We already got a sampling of that line of thought from ESPN analyst and New York Mets adviser Jessica Mendoza, who said Thursday the pitcher should have reported his concerns to Major League Baseball instead of going to The Athletic with his blockbuster story.

"It didn’t sit well with me," Mendoza said during an appearance on ESPN's "Golic and Wingo" show. "Honestly, it made me sad for the sport that that’s how this all got found out."

Then, she dug herself an even deeper hole.

"This wasn’t something MLB naturally investigated,” Mendoza said. "It came from within. It was a player that was a part of it, that benefited from it during the regular season when he was a part of that team. That, when I first heard about it, it hits you like any teammate would. It’s something that you don’t do. I totally get telling your future teammates, helping them win, letting people know, but to go public with it and...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Column-MLB-whistleblower-deserves-applause-not-14984519.php