The Boston Red Sox have officially hired Alex Cora to be their next manager in 2018, so here are 5 things you may not know about him.
When the Boston Red Sox take the field in 2018, they’ll be under new management with 41-year old Alex Cora at the helm. Before then, Cora is hoping to win a World Series with the Houston Astros as their bench coach. That series will start on Tuesday, and as soon as it’s over Cora will head to Boston.
The former major league player has spent just one season as the Astros’ bench coach, but he has plenty of experience and was clearly the top choice for Dave Dombrowski. Now, he’ll have the chance to take an underperforming Red Sox club to a World Series within the next 3 years.
5. Cora will be the 47th manager in Red Sox history
As you’d expect, the Boston Red Sox have quite a long list of previous managers. This is due to their long history, and the fact that they failed to win a World Series for 86 years. Losing will cause some quick turnover to occur.
Joe Cronin and Terry Francona are the two winningest managers in Boston history, and Cora will have to become legendary in the city to surpass them. Cronin had 1,071 total wins from 1935-1947 while Francona won 744 from 2004-2011. The last manager, John Farrell, won 432 games during his tenure, which ranks 4th on the Red Sox all-time list. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex Cora passes Farrell or Jimmy Collins (455) to end up 3rd on this list when all is said and done. The Red Sox have a ton of talent on their roster, Cora just needs to put it all together.
4. Cora will be the first ever minority manager in Red Sox history
The previous 46 managers of the Boston Red Sox have all been white men. That will change next season when Cora takes the field. For a team that is attempting to rebuild their image across the country as a ‘racist’ city, this will be huge. Yawkey Way should have it’s name changed soon, and the Red Sox have actively spoken out about racism and hatred. Cora will have the opportunity to be the face of that fight in Boston.
In terms of actual play on the diamond, Cora’s Hispanic heritage should be a helper as well. Even though most of the Hispanic Red Sox players speak and understand English, it’s overlooked just how more comfortable they may feel speaking in their first language. Cora will be able to communicate with players like Hanley Ramirez, Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez and others in Spanish. That may seem like a small thing, but I believe it will bring the team even closer together.
3. Cora will be the first former Red Sox player to manage the club since Butch Hobson
While former players have managed the Boston Red Sox, no former Red Sox player has done so since Butch Hobson.
Hobson was a player for the Red Sox from 1975-1980 and then managed the team from 1992-1994 upon his retirement. In a Red Sox uniform, Hobson appeared in 623 games as a third baseman. He hit .252 with 94 home runs and 358 RBI over parts of 6 seasons. As a manager, Hobson went just 207-232 with a career-high of 80 wins in 1993. In 1994, Hobson’s Red Sox won just 54 games.
Cora, of course, will want to perform better in his tenure as the Red Sox manager. His playing career though was pretty similar in Boston. He hit .252 — The same batting average as Hobson in Boston — while also hitting 6 home runs and bringing in 61 RBI. Cora was not known as a great hitter, but he had a solid approach at the plate and his fielding kept him in the game. His play in the middle infield with Dustin Pedroia in 2007 and 2008 was great, and I can’t wait to see Cora and Pedey get together again.
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.
1. Cora is the general manager of the Puerto Rican National Team
In 2006 and 2009 Alex Cora was a player for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He didn’t light it up, but he clearly had an impact on the team as he’s now their general manager.
While the team doesn’t have any Red Sox players on it, Cora has been dealing with a ton of major leaguers. Players like Yadier Molina, Javier Baez, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, and Carlos Beltran are on the Puerto Rican National Team, and so they’ve all dealt with Cora at some point. He has a ton of connections and experience in all facets of the game, and that should help him succeed in Boston.
Next: Time to add some power to the Red Sox lineup
I truly believe that Alex Cora was 100% the correct choice to become the manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2018. His 3-year contract is conservative, but if he succeeds in years 1 and 2, I think a quick extension will come. With Chris Sale, David Price, Drew Pomeranz, Hanley Ramirez and the Killer B’s, Cora should win a World Series title for the Red Sox. So, do you agree that Cora was the right choice? Let me know on Twitter @CandCFansided.