MLB
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John Moriello John Moriello Sports Editor John Moriello started covering sports in 1982, began digital publishing in 1995, and joined Sportscasting in 2020. A graduate of St. John Fisher University, he finds inspiration in the underdogs and the fascinating stories sports can tell (both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat). John expertly covers all aspects of NASCAR.Beginning with his 2014 coverage at Fox Sports of the aftermath of the dirt-race tragedy in which Kevin Ward Jr. died after being struck by a car driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, John has excelled as a journalist who specializes in the motorsports world. He previously spent more than three decades covering high school sports and worked as a beat writer covering Big East football and basketball, but NASCAR is now where the true expertise falls.John is a member of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame (2013), the President of the New York State Sportswriters Association, and a two-time Best of Gannett winner for print and online collaborations whose work has appeared on FoxSports.com and MaxPreps.com. Get to know John Moriello better 
Updated08 Apr 2020
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Baseball observers point to Aaron Judge and Mike Fiers as individuals who suffered irreparable damage in the mess that the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal has created for Major League Baseball.
Judgearguably deserved the 2017 American League MVP honor over Jose Altuve, who allegedlyoften knew what pitch was coming courtesy of the Astros’ elaborate scam duringhome games. Fiers’ future in the sport is uncertain because he blew the whistleon the Astros.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper rates himself a winner in the scandal.
Bryce Harper is enjoying a low-profile spring
Bryce Harper became the biggest story in baseball early in 2019 because of the astonishing contract he signed after leaving the Washington Nationals as a free agent.
Uponarriving at training camp with the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of February,Harper was besieged by media wanting to know what he could offer in return forhis 13-year, $330 million contract. The spotlight stayed on him through much ofthe season.
Harpershowed up at his second Phillies training camp recently and was relieved to findlittle in the way of a media presence other than the Philadelphia beat writers.
“It’s actually kind of nice,’’he told USA Today. “Cameras aren’t all over the place. You’re not seeing ESPNand Fox every single day. You don’t have all of these trucks and crazinessgoing on. Everybody can just focus on our team and not really just focus onmyself. I think it’s better for everybody in this clubhouse.’’
There’s still interest in Harper and the Phillies, but the Astros scandal is dominating the news as baseball enters the 2020 season and is causing the national media to camp at Houston’s spring base in West Palm Beach, Florida.
A welcome change for Bryce Harper
The Phillies only played .500 baseball and finished in fourth place in their division in Bryce Harper’s first year there under his monster contract. He has much to prove to the organization and new manager Joe Girardi, but at the age of 27 he also has time to do so.
And based on what stars likeMookie Betts figure to make in upcoming contract negotiations, Harper’s $25million average salary over the duration of his deal could look like a bargainfor a power hitter in three or four years.
Harper batted .260 with 35 homeruns and 114 RBIs last summer. The biggest knock on the hard-hitting rightfielder was the 178 strikeouts in 573 at-bats, continuing a trend that emergedin his seventh and final season with the Washington Nationals. Still, his sluggingpercentage and OPS were right in his previous range.
“Being in Philly last year, I loved every moment of it,” Harper said. “You see what a fan base can do, how much they understand, and the passion and drive and just the history of this organization. It’s just fun.”
Harper missed out on the Nationals’ magical season
Money makes up for a lot of disappointment, but the downside to leaving via free agency is that Bryce Harper missed out on a history-making season for the Washington Nationals.
TheNationals went 93-69 during the regular season to finish second to the AtlantaBraves by four games in the National League East before running the table inthe postseason and beating the Houston Astros in seven games for the franchise’sfirst World Series championship.
