Cora drawing interest from teams looking for a manager
NEW YORK — Carlos Correa has equated the man’s knowledge of the game to “a baseball bible.”
Alex Bregman credited him with the pep talk that preceded his game-tying home run off Boston ace Chris Sale in the ALDS clincher. A.J. Hinch touts him as “a future star.”
And as the 101-win Astros have advanced through these playoffs, it’s become increasingly clear Alex Cora probably won’t be with them for long.
Cora, the first-year Astros bench coach, is in high demand. With four teams searching for a new manager, it would qualify as a surprise if the 41-year-old former infielder didn’t parlay his successful first year as Hinch’s righthand man and clubhouse liaison into a top job. It seems simply a matter of which.
Cora’s expected to interview for at least three of the open managerial jobs if not all four. He had his first Sunday morning, when he met with Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in New York, where the Astros will play Game 3 of the ALCS against the Yankees on Monday night.
While in town Cora will also reportedly interview with the Mets. Future postseason off days could be filled with more interviews. The Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies are also in the market for a manager.
Hinch, who pushed to hire Cora for various jobs previously before he finally lured him to the Astros last offseason, speaks strongly in support of his bench coach’s managerial candidacy. Cora’s ability to connect with players is one of the qualities Hinch often mentions. Players laud Cora for his attention to detail.
“He’s one of the smartest baseball people that I’ve ever been around,” Hinch said recently. “His knowledge of the game, his feel for the game, his feel for players is really exceptional.”
Cora said last week he was humbled to hear his name discussed as a managerial candidate.
“I’m happy that people mention my name, but at the same time I’m happy that people say that I’m a good bench coach for the Houston Astros,” he told the Chronicle before the start of the ALCS. “I think that’s very important for me because that’s what my goal was coming here, just try to be the best at what I do.
“For people to mention me in other conversations it’s great, but I like when they talk about the Houston Astros and how good they are and how I helped some of the players or the team to win ballgames. That’s the one that I really love.”
The Astros knew when they hired Cora last offseason his might be a short tenure.
He was viewed as having manager potential even before he retired from playing in 2011. A four-year stint as an analyst for ESPN preceded his getting back in uniform.
While at ESPN, before he had any major league coaching experience, Cora garnered three managerial interviews: with the Rangers in 2014 for the job that went to Jeff Banister, with the Padres in 2015 before they hired Andy Green and last winter for the gig with the Diamondbacks that Torey Lovullo landed.
‘He’s a player’s guy’
Though his coaching career is in its nascent stages, his one season of bench coach experience for a potential World Series team is likely to push his candidacy over the top. He also managed two seasons of winter ball in his native Puerto Rico, where he’s been the general manager the last five years for the team in his hometown of Caguas. (He fired himself as manager after two winters because of time constraints.)
“He’s a players’ guy,” Astros center fielder George Springer said. “He played the game. He understands how hard it is to play this game and that’s the most important thing. It’s easy to forget how hard it is when you’re not playing the game. He hasn’t forgotten that.
“He’s into the game. He’s very informational. He’s going to be good someday somewhere.”
Cora’s baseball acumen has paid dividends for the Astros. Like veteran Carlos Beltran, Cora excels in his ability to pick up opposing pitcher’s tendencies. Astros players speak of instances when a Cora tip about a pitcher led to a home run, though they decline to provide specifics to avoid potentially losing the advantage in future at-bats.
The same goes for Cora knowing the opportune time to steal a base. Bregman, the Astros’ 23-year-old third baseman known much more for his hitting than base stealing, credits Cora for most of the 17 bases he swiped during the regular season. Other Astros have echoed similar sentiments.
A ‘one-tool’ player
During his six-week disabled-list stint for his broken left thumb, Correa would sidle up next to Cora in the dugout during games. Cora helped to keep the 23-year-old All-Star shortstop in the game mentally. Correa felt as if he were coaching right along with Cora.
“I played 13 years in the big leagues and I only had one tool: defense,” Cora said. “So, to play 13 years in the big leagues you have to take advantage of certain situations and I think I did a good job of it. If that helped me with my ability, I know it’s going to help them with their ability and make them a better player.”
The Astros are aware this month might be their last working with Cora. As the media attention has grown, they’ve fielded more questions about their bench coach. One recent afternoon before an Astros workout while Cora spoke to a reporter on the dugout bench, right fielder Josh Reddick said “Boston Red Sox manager 2018!” on his way onto the field.
Cora laughed. Moments earlier, he had been asked where he thinks he will be next year. He understandably hasn’t commented publicly on specific jobs and insists he’s “locked in” to his duties as Astros bench coach.
But the baseball world knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s leading a major league team of his own.
“I’ll be in uniform,” he said, smiling. “I’ll be in uniform.”