The Boston Red Sox are looking to the future with Alex Cora as their new skipper.
Today, the 46th manager in Boston Red Sox history — Alex Cora will be officially welcomed into the fold in Bean Town. Cora was part of the coaching staff of the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros.
The live-press conference will be streamed and achieved here by MLB.com at 12:00 pm EST.
After winning back to back AL East crowns, to go with consecutive 93 wins seasons, the Red Sox seemed to be making a rash decision by parting ways with John Farrell. However, with the recent news of Alex Cora’s selection as Sox manager, the decision to leave Farrell in the dust makes much more sense.
Former Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez expressed his pleasure with this new selection.
"“I think it’s great, not only for the organization to have the first minority manager, but also for Cora,. “I think it’s a great achievement. He’s young, smart, intelligent. I think he adjusts really well to the different things that we have. The way baseball is trending right now, he’s a perfect fit. I think his communication with players and his experience is going to help him out.”"
Houston Astros’ World Series champion manager A.J. Hinch had very high praise of Cora, thinking highly of this move by the Red Sox organization.
"“His relatability skills to players, his baseball intellect are all impressive, and his transition to coaching has gone well. I trust him to be prepared, trust him to be able to handle it. He can compartmentalize very, very well.”"
Here’s what Cora has to live up to, with a franchise full of history:
- World Series titles: 8
- American League Pennants: 13
- American League East Division titles: 9
- Wild Card berths: 7
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What do the Red Sox have to look forward to in 2018? Plenty. Drew Pomeranz was 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 32 starts, a pleasant surprise, to be sure.
Rafael Devers slashed .284/.338/.482, with ten homers in only 58 games. Let’s not forget about fan favorite Mookie Betts. Even though he wasn’t as productive of his MVP caliber marks of 2016, he was still instrumental in the middle of that Red Sox lineup.
The Red Sox will be right around that 90 win mark once again but will have to fend off the surging Yankees. The Red Sox are hopeful that Cora is what puts them over the top in 2018 and beyond.
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Alex Cora donned the Red Sox uniform from 2005-08, including a World Series title in 2007. Will Cora lead his new team to the promised land in 2018 and beyond? Time will tell, but he is certainly the right man for the job.