After a lot of rumors during the American League Championship Series (ALCS), the Boston Red Sox officially hired Alex Cora as their new head coach on Oct. 22. He is the current bench coach for the Houston Astros, who are representing the American League in the 2017 World Series. Cora recently turned 42 years old, and although this will be his first stint as a head coach, I think he’s the perfect fit for the job.
From 2005 until 2008, Cora was a utility player for the Red Sox, predominantly playing second base. He got along well with then manager Terry Francona, and many players say they viewed Cora as a player-coach.
In an interview in the Boston Sports Journal, Mike Lowell explained how Manny Ramirez once showed up late for a weight room session. Manny Ramirez was, if not the best, the second best hitter on the team, but he was always known as a bit of a head case. Although he wasn’t an every day player, Cora essentially told Ramirez they weren’t going to win in the playoffs if he was not fully committed. Most all-star players would disregard the advice from a player like Cora, but he had a unique relationship with his teammates and was respected by everyone in the clubhouse. Manny Ramirez pulled his act together because of Cora, and Boston won the World Series in 2007.
Their current team is very young, and its veterans don’t exactly set the best examples for the new players.
Pitcher David Price’s issues on and off the field go without saying, but he’s received the most criticism when he tried to embarrass Red Sox Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley on a team flight.
Hanley Ramirez is known for being one of the laziest professional athletes out there. When he gives his best effort, he’s without a doubt one of the best hitters that the MLB has, as we saw in this year’s American League Division Series. At the same time, if he is asked to play first base when he wants to be the designated hitter, he will claim he’s hurt and take a few days off.
Dustin Pedroia is a player who gives his best effort no matter what, but he was involved in a couple of bizarre incidents this past season. He pointed at John Farrell and his teammates when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch, blaming them for what happened and separating himself from his own team.
Cora is young enough that the players can relate to him; he’s not too far out of touch. Price is a wild card, so it’s unknown how well he’ll get along with Cora, but Cora is best suited to deal with him. Cora should be able to get through to Hanley Ramirez the same way he did with Manny Ramirez, mainly because he’s someone that the players will respect. Pedroia took Cora’s spot in 2007, but they both have carried on a good relationship since then. 
As far as managing goes, Cora served as the General Manager for team Puerto Rico and he got them to the finals this past World Baseball Classic. As the Houston Astros bench coach this year, he has seemed to really adjust to coaching. The biggest problem with the Red Sox has been the coaching staff and the players’ lack of communication. After the Astros beat the Yankees in game seven of the ALCS, multiple players searched for Cora to hug him during the postgame celebration. I believe that’s exactly what the Boston Red Sox have been screaming for the last couple of seasons—a manager who has a really close relationship with the whole team, like Francona with both the 2004 and 2007 World Series winning teams.