Cora to tell team rest of the story
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
FORT MYERS — The Red Sox are not going to be a tired group if manager Alex Cora has his way.
Cora said yesterday it’s his intention to give the regulars more rest this season. That includes pitchers and position players.
“We’ll sit down with them individually and talk about it,” Cora said. “I know it’s a hard conversation because I went through it last year, but if they start buying into it they will see the benefits of having off days.”
This isn’t the age of the iron man, where 162-game seasons are common and days off are for the weak. Over the last 10 years, there were only 30 instances of somebody playing in all 162 games. In the 10 years before that, from 1998-2007, there were 62 such instances.
Injuries can be season-killers, and Cora wants to do everything he can to prevent them.
With Cora serving as bench coach in Houston last year, only two Astros played more than 140 games and no player logged 600 at-bats.
It may have kept the Astros fresh as they outlasted everybody in the playoffs, winning back-toback seven-game series on their way to a World Series title.
“You have to be very careful and understand that I get it, there are fewer at-bats you’re going to have compared to previous years,” Cora said. “But in the end they’re going to benefit from the plan.”
The pitchers will be better rested, too. Chris Sale already has laid out his plan to take it slower this spring, as has David Price. Cora said he’s expecting low volume for most of his starters.
“Don’t expect them to pitch against BC or Northeastern (next Thursday),” Cora said. “They won’t be there. I think it’s later rather than early in the camp.
“This is something that I really believe we have to do . . . for them to understand that Opening Day is not here at JetBlue Park. Opening Day is at Tropicana Field. That’s what we want. We want it to be at the top of their game the first day of the season, not here in Fort Myers.”
No word on Nunez
The Red Sox made no announcement regarding Eduardo Nunez, who has an unofficial agreement on a one-year contract pending a physical.
“I can’t comment about it,” Cora said. “But (president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski) is always working. He’s been working the whole offseason and one thing I told you guys in November, I told you guys in December and January, ‘There’s no deadline in the offseason.’ So he’s going to keep looking for ways to improve the team, although we feel very comfortable with what we have. It’s up to him. If he makes a decision, he makes a decision with one of the free agents out there, we’ll welcome him and get to work.”
Nunez occasionally hit leadoff for the Sox last year, but regardless of the potential signing, “Mookie Betts is our leadoff hitter,” Cora said.
Devers no Panda
Pablo Sandoval reported to San Francisco Giants spring training this week and was hoping to win a spot as a reserve, according to the Mercury News.
The Giants traded for Evan Longoria to play third base and Sandoval seemed fine with the move, telling reporters he had brought a catcher’s mitt and first baseman’s glove in attempt to make himself more versatile.
The Red Sox are still on the hook to pay Sandoval $18 million in both 2018 and 2019.
And they have no concerns about the physical condition of their own third baseman, 21-year-old Rafael Devers.
Cora said Devers understands how Sandoval’s weight and health became detrimental to his performance.
“The way he’s moving, you can see it’s very explosive,” Cora said. “He’s a guy that at a young age, obviously you have to keep teaching him not only on the field but also off the field. He’s willing to take the information. I went to the Dominican Republic on Dec. 26 and I explained to him, ‘Hey, you’re the third baseman for the Boston Red Sox and we want you for the long run, not just for two months and be good.’ So he’s made some big adjustments off the field and we’re very happy with where he’s at.”
Swihart in field
Blake Swihart finally got a chance to shed his catcher’s gear and take some groundballs in the infield yesterday.
“One thing I noticed, he understands and he makes adjustments right away,” Cora said. “(Third base coach Carlos Febles) was right behind him. There was a ground ball that he was flat-footed and caught it on the right side. Carlos noticed it and explained to him we want guys to work balls from the right to left so you can create momentum and you can create that lane to throw the ball even though it’s second base. The next one I hit it right there, the same spot, and he went right to left and threw it.
“One thing with him, we have to be very careful just like the other guys. The volume of work ... we want him to catch, but I want him too to move his feet and get used to (the infield). But probably instead of taking 40 ground balls, 15 is good for him. We’ve just gotta make sure he’s ready for the next day because he has a lot to do throughout the day.”