Red Sox: Is it luck or astute management with Alex Cora?

In Cora we trust may be an adopted Red Sox slogan

This season’s success for your Boston Red Sox, is it luck or astute management? Prior to the season, the general consensus was this was a team of the future. Apparently, the future is now.

Back in April, a season of just hitting .500 would be a worthy goal. The roster was shaky. Pitching – as always – was of concern. The budget constraints limited moves. And they were coming off a 2020 season that was a performance disaster. Just possible it is the manager – Alex Cora – as the main influence?

Friday night against the Yankees became a moment of clarity on just the destiny of this team. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez had managed to invigorate his season with three starts that were reminiscent of the E-Rod of 2019. Then it happened. A migraine that shut down Rodriguez and brought in Phillips Valdez to face the Bombers.

Valdez – one of the few bright spots of 2020 – whiffed three straight Yanks. A memorable performance. The Jose Tartabull throw of 1967 only from the mound. Valdez – fresh from Worcester – kept the Yankees leashed and the Red Sox took home a win. Luck or trust?

Cora must have been drenched in some type of pixie dust that emits good fortune. Moves pan out far more than they crash. Is there some innate quality that allows Cora to see the future? More likely it is an understanding of talent. Putting players into comfortable situations where they have a respectable chance of success. Players respond to whatever button Cora pushes.

Players respond to consistency and defined roles. The batting order being a case in point. Cora apparently had no issue with treating the order like a Lego set. Pieces were changed, swapped, benched, and altered. Alex Verdugo – recently in scuffling mode – was dropped. Verdugo responded with this action as a challenge.

The Red Sox are performing quite similarly to their most notable challenger the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays always seem to manage. The roster is a collection of unknowns, youngsters, veteran reclamation projects, sprinkled with a few star attractions. They just coalesce and get it done. Boston is doing the same.

Looking at the first 100 games, what stands out are several items. Consistency is one where this team wins on the road and at home. They also win month-to-month. No June Swoon. The Red Sox are excellent within their division. So far the post-All-Star schedule is weighted with division rivals. The big test will be against the Rays.

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Astute management and that means Chaim Bloom and Cora have placed this roster into a position where luck may be perceived, but the reality is players are simply up to the challenge. And Cora, who has exhibited the patience of job. Vast swaths of Red Sox Nation would have long since had Bobby Dalbec renting an apartment in Worcester. Garrett Richards would have been traded off to someone, anyone. That is just a partial list and thankfully Bloom and Cora ignore the social media hyenas.

Cora is not my favorite manager on a personal level and it all swirls back to his actions in Houston and later Boston. Cora got pinched by MLB brass for his actions. The Red Sox and Cora had the good sense to take a hiatus. An amicable separation. That – thankfully – ended and Cora was welcome back despite his wayward actions. As bad as things may get, just think Bobby Valentine.

Cora reminds me of the managerial style of Terry Francona. Cora played for Francona and was part of the 2007 championship team. Both keep a clubhouse under reasonable control. Both are classified as “player’s managers.” Both spent a solid portion of their playing days watching and not participating in games. They fully understand the importance and mentality of the secondary players. Both are quite adept at handling the ravenous local media. Both are capable of exhibiting self-deprecating humor, bluntness, and openness.

Few of us are knowledgeable about the inner sanctum or clubhouse. With divergent personalities confined to living together for eight months, a manager has to be a father figure, an occasional hard-ass, a nurturer, and an instructor on all things baseball. Players seem to respond, be they rookies, budding stars, or established veterans. So far it is looking a lot like 2018 for Cora and the Red Sox.

The Red Sox could collapse and that certainly happened to Francona with the infamous beer and chicken. With Cora that is highly unlikely, at least not until a certain lax attitude takes place. A problematic concern at best. Cora has a touch of Francona, Red Auerbach, and Bill Belichick mixed in with his own style. Luck is often just the result of hard work and study.