Boston Red Sox: 5 things to know about our new manager Alex Cora

2. As a player in Boston, Cora was a tremendous fielder with just 23 errors in 4 seasons

Like I said, Alex Cora was a great defensive middle infielder. Over his long career, Cora was a .976 fielder while appearing in games at shortstop, second base, third base, first base, and one as a left fielder.

With Boston, Cora was primarily a shortstop, and from 2005 to 2008 I always felt confident when he was slotted there in the lineup. Don’t get me wrong, Cora was nowhere near being a Hall of Fame type player, but he was a solid guy that people would forget about if he wasn’t managing or coaching. He helped deliver the 2007 World Series title to Boston with his play, and sometimes all you can ask is for a guy to simply not mess things up. Cora did just that.

I believe he can really help Rafael Devers develop at third base defensively. If Cora does that, the Red Sox should fare pretty well in 2018 and beyond.