Maybe Hinch can take a brief vacation and give Cora some practice in some meaningless games before he takes the helm of the sox.
Maybe they asked him if Hickey would be someone he wanted on his staffHow does that match up with Cora picking his own staff?
Perhaps Cora can arrange for some flying monkeys to attack the MFY bullpen. Just keep him out of rain delays.
I'd be surprised as well. I'm a little concerned about where he would play and how the other pieces would have to be rearranged.This hire shows that, once again, Dave Dombrowski does not screw around. He identified his man and went out and got him.
If J.D. Martinez is not a member of the Red Sox by the end of the winter meetings, I'll be shocked.
I figured at least pitchers and catchers day.After the press conference
You and me both. I’m so happy with this signing.Gosh. I have dreamed of Cora replacing Farrell for several years now. I can't believe this is all working out so beautifully.
This. I’m excited about this hire. By all accounts an excellent baseball mind. They just need a good pitching coach. I’d love Hickey because of Price.Seems like the right hire. He'll make head-scratching moves, and the team will still do some stupid things. Some fans will even think that the team looks "unprepared" at times. But it appears that he'll be a really good clubhouse presence and will do well relating to the players, areas that seem to have been Farrell's biggest shortcomings.
Well saidSeems like the right hire. He'll make head-scratching moves, and the team will still do some stupid things. Some fans will even think that the team looks "unprepared" at times. But it appears that he'll be a really good clubhouse presence and will do well relating to the players, areas that seem to have been Farrell's biggest shortcomings.
I like your thinking! Everett for hitting coach, Alcantara for assistant hitting coach, and Aceves for pitching coach.Carl Everett for hitting coach. If the players don't hit he'll beat the shit out of them. Or beat up the Umps if the zone sucks (He loves beating on Umps). Just don't mention dinosaurs in the dugout.
Thanks for putting it so clearly.Seems like the right hire. He'll make head-scratching moves, and the team will still do some stupid things. Some fans will even think that the team looks "unprepared" at times. But it appears that he'll be a really good clubhouse presence and will do well relating to the players, areas that seem to have been Farrell's biggest shortcomings.
This.This hire shows that, once again, Dave Dombrowski does not screw around. He identified his man and went out and got him.
If J.D. Martinez is not a member of the Red Sox by the end of the winter meetings, I'll be shocked.
Meh. I heard he steals silverware from his roommates. Hard pass.Absolutely. Pinstripes be damned, the guy is one of the best managers in the game, and arguably the best manager in the east since Maddon left.
Great addition! I knew there was another hothead pitcher that I was missing. LOLIs there a spot for Julian Tavarez on this coaching staff?
Not sure we want our entire staff rolling the ball to first base.Is there a spot for Julian Tavarez on this coaching staff?
Is it really that important? Can't it just be a good hire of a guy whom everyone has been saying is the next big thing as far as managers go?So isn't Cora the first minority manager in team history? If so, shouldn't this narrative be a big part of his hiring? And once again, isn't this yet another level of behind-the-curve crap from this organization on minority hires (i.e., in addition to the players themselves)?
Fielding coach. Players would never forget which base to throw to.Is there a spot for Julian Tavarez on this coaching staff?
Does he have an iWatch ??
No, this shouldn't be a big part of this hiring, unless you think he was hired because he is a minority.So isn't Cora the first minority manager in team history? If so, shouldn't this narrative be a big part of his hiring? And once again, isn't this yet another level of behind-the-curve crap from this organization on minority hires (i.e., in addition to the players themselves)?
Is this because these thing apply to every manager?Seems like the right hire. He'll make head-scratching moves, and the team will still do some stupid things. Some fans will even think that the team looks "unprepared" at time.
This is the hottest of hot takes.So isn't Cora the first minority manager in team history? If so, shouldn't this narrative be a big part of his hiring? And once again, isn't this yet another level of behind-the-curve crap from this organization on minority hires (i.e., in addition to the players themselves)?
Yes. I was trying to make that point subtly.Is this because these thing apply to every manager?
It is a pretty short list. As far as I can tell, only the Yankees, Twins, A's and Phillies have never had a minority manager. A couple other teams have never given a minority permanent status as manager, but at least had them managing on an interim basis.This is the hottest of hot takes.
The Sox are actually ahead of the curve in hiring a minority manager because they are nowhere near the last team to hire one.
Which I’m sure will go mostly dormant when he starts here.In case people aren't aware, Cora has social media accounts worth following:
https://www.instagram.com/ac13alex/
https://twitter.com/ac13alex
I could see it working out depending on their relationship, but I'd generally lean against having the bench coach be a sibling or close friend of the manager. The bench coach has to be willing to challenge the manager when he makes a bad call.Obvious fit might be his brother Joey as bench coach. It’s a promotion from his base coach position in Pittsburgh.
Aren't Tito and Brad Mills the best of friends? That partnership seems to have worked out pretty well.I could see it working out depending on their relationship, but I'd generally lean against having the bench coach be a sibling or close friend of the manager. The bench coach has to be willing to challenge the manager when he makes a bad call.
Who cares?I figured at least pitchers and catchers day.
By all reports this is a good hire. What will be interesting is as the Sox hitters regress (upgress?) to their career norms; does Cora get the credit or is just the young kids figuring it out.
Might be time for somebody to start a Cora's Coaching Staff thread (I'm probably not the best guy) but I was going to chime in with the same thoughts on Butterfield in particular. He seems well liked by the players and offers some stability and familiarity during the transition. I would like to see them hold on to Bannister as well but I think you have to make a call to Mike Maddux now that he's available. Particularly with a young manager I would like to see him surround himself with a more experienced staff.I can't remember being as excited about a new Red Sox manager as I am with Cora's hiring. We obviously didn't know what we had with Tito, and while I did like the idea of hiring Farrell the fact that his tenure didn't go so well in Toronto was at least a little concerning. Otherwise - meh (or worse in BV's case). I can't recall Boston ever being the destination of choice for the top managerial candidates in the game.
Alex Cora seems to be exactly what this particular team needs right now - the clubhouse missed David Ortiz's leadership badly this season and we are now hearing that Farrell was more of a hands-off management figure and let the clubhouse be. I like that Cora is coming from a team where a similar young core of talented players has established themselves, as well as his experience working in the Puerto Rican winter league and being the general manager of the island's WBC team. I'm confident that this experience and his bilingual abilities are going to pay tremendous dividends for this particular Sox team.
Regarding coaches - I hope Brian Bannister is given first shot at the pitching coach position unless Cora feels strongly about another candidate. Similarly, I hope Butterfield and Levangie are retained in their roles based on how highly both seem to be regarded. The rest of the staff is fungible IMO - Chili Davis seems like a good guy but a new voice is almost certainly needed for the hitters. While the conventional wisdom says that Cora should bring on an old hand as his bench coach, his own experience in that role for A.J. Hinch might lead him to find his own 'next Alex Cora' to serve in that capacity. I wouldn't be shocked if he does hire his brother for that position.
Hiding behind the poor recent minority hiring numbers in all baseball doesn't justify squat - it just makes the Sox one of a number of teams that should be criticized. And even moreso than most other teams because at least a good number of those teams have hired minority managers in the past. Sorry, but the Sox should be scrutinized especially hard here because of their shameful history of lagging behind everyone else in breaking the color barrier on the field. The organization has made great strides in minority-related issues over the last few decades on multiple levels so there's that of course, but still, the first Latino (Preston Gomez) and black (Frank Robinson) managerial hires happened over 40 years ago, and for us, it was yesterday. I'm not trying to be a buzzkill - I'm very happy about the Cora signing including because he seemed by far the best candidate - but just feel that this sorry legacy should be acknowledged somewhereNo, this shouldn't be a big part of this hiring, unless you think he was hired because he is a minority.
You know how many minority Managers there were in MLB this past season? Three, and one has since been fired. The whole league is behind the curve on this, not the Sox.
I dunno, I can see an older brother fulfilling that role really well. "Nice call on that bunt play, numb nuts. Pedroia! Hold my brother's arms while I give him a purple nurple."I could see it working out depending on their relationship, but I'd generally lean against having the bench coach be a sibling or close friend of the manager. The bench coach has to be willing to challenge the manager when he makes a bad call.
Hiding behind the poor recent minority hiring numbers in all baseball doesn't justify squat - it just makes the Sox one of a number of teams that should be criticized. And even moreso than most other teams because at least a good number of those teams have hired minority managers in the past. Sorry, but the Sox should be scrutinized especially hard here because of their shameful history of lagging behind everyone else in breaking the color barrier on the field. The organization has made great strides in minority-related issues over the last few decades on multiple levels so there's that of course, but still, the first Latino (Preston Gomez) and black (Frank Robinson) managerial hires happened over 40 years ago, and for us, it was yesterday. I'm not trying to be a buzzkill - I'm very happy about the Cora signing including because he seemed by far the best candidate - but just feel that this sorry legacy should be acknowledged somewhere
Man, that takes me back to the time Correa was chasing Bogaerts on the BA top 100 list, and EVERYONE was hoping to catch Jurickson Profar. Granted, Correa was just 5 spots back of Xander while 2 years younger...If Xander turns into Carlos Correa under Cora's watch, I'll surgically erase the parts of my brain that make me remember all the dreaded Sunday lineups that featured Cora.
So isn't Cora the first minority manager in team history? If so, shouldn't this narrative be a big part of his hiring? And once again, isn't this yet another level of behind-the-curve crap from this organization on minority hires (i.e., in addition to the players themselves)?
Consider current management criticized. And hey, they just hired a minority manager, so that's that.Hiding behind the poor recent minority hiring numbers in all baseball doesn't justify squat - it just makes the Sox one of a number of teams that should be criticized. And even moreso than most other teams because at least a good number of those teams have hired minority managers in the past. Sorry, but the Sox should be scrutinized especially hard here because of their shameful history of lagging behind everyone else in breaking the color barrier on the field. The organization has made great strides in minority-related issues over the last few decades on multiple levels so there's that of course, but still, the first Latino (Preston Gomez) and black (Frank Robinson) managerial hires happened over 40 years ago, and for us, it was yesterday. I'm not trying to be a buzzkill - I'm very happy about the Cora signing including because he seemed by far the best candidate - but just feel that this sorry legacy should be acknowledged somewhere
That's great. Sure to become a game thread staple.