Posted on October 22, 2017, by Bryan Zarpentine
Image via bostonherald.com
The season is not yet over for Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora, but he already has a new job lined up for 2018. The Boston Red Sox announced Sunday that Cora has been hired as the team’s new manager. Cora has signed a three-year deal with a team option for the 2021 season. He will replace John Farrell, who was let go after Boston’s ALDS loss to the Astros, Cora’s current employer.
This will be Cora’s first job as a major league manager. This past season was his first as a member of Houston’s coaching staff. However, he quickly developed a great reputation among the Astros players. It also helps that he spent 14 seasons as a major league player, including four with the Red Sox from 2005 to 2008. He was part of Boston’s 2007 World Series championship team. He will now look to lead the Red Sox to a title as a manger.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to be named manager of the Boston Red Sox and I want to thank Dave (Dombrowski), John Henry, Tom Werner, and Sam Kennedy for giving me such a tremendous opportunity,” said Cora in a press release. “Returning to the Red Sox and the city of Boston is a dream come true for me and my family and I look forward to working towards the ultimate goal of winning another championship for this city and its great fans.”
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The Red Sox will host a formal press conference to introduce Cora after the World Series. Outside of a press release from the Red Sox, both Boston and Houston will obstain from discussing Cora’s new position until after the World Series.
“We were very impressed when we interviewed Alex,” said Dombrowski. “He came to us as a highly regarded candidate, and from speaking with him throughout this process, we found him to be very knowledgeable, driven, and deserving of this opportunity. He is a highly respected and hardworking individual who has experience playing in Boston.
“Alex also has a full appreciation for the use of analytical information in today’s game and his ability to communicate and relate to both young players and veterans is a plus. Finally, the fact that he is bilingual is very significant for our club.”
Before hiring Cora, the Red Sox also interviewed Brad Ausmus and Ron Gardenhire. Ausmus was let go by the Tigers following the season, while Gardenhire was recenly hired by the Tigers to replace him. The Red Sox were reportedly looking for a manager who can communicate with the team’s core of young players. They believe Cora fits that description.
“Alex brings a lot to the table,” says Astros DH Carlos Beltran. “He’s a guy that always is looking for information that he could use against the opposite team. He has good communication with the guys, respects the guys. He’s always in the clubhouse getting to know the players, getting to know which buttons he could push on each player to make them go out there and play the game hard.”
Obviously, Cora doesn’t bring any previous experience as a major league manager. However, he takes over a team that has won the AL East the past two seasons and has a core of young position players already in place. There’s little doubt that Cora will be set up to succeed right away. More importantly, the Red Sox believe he’s the right person to get them back to the World Series.