Pedroia could follow Cora again
Sox 2B, manager display similar traits
Tonight, Alex Cora will be announced as the Red Sox manager during introductions before Game 1 of the World Series.
In the future, could it be Dustin Pedroia?
Cora will take the field today as the third manager in the Expansion Era (from 1961 on) to take a team to the World Series in his first season as a manager.
And while there may not be another Cora, there almost will certainly be other teams looking for someone just like him. The desire for young managers who are only recently removed from the field has been strong.
The Brewers hired Craig Counsell in 2015 just four years after he played in his last MLB game. The Rays hired Kevin Cash in 2014 four years after his last game. Fellow managers Aaron Boone (2009), Gabe Kapler (2010), Brad Ausmus (2010) and Dave Roberts (2008) all have played Major League Baseball in the last decade.
With this in mind, it’s worth taking a look around the Red Sox clubhouse and asking who could be next to make the quick transition from the field to the bench.
Five Red Sox players were asked yesterday who amongst them would make a good manager. The answers included Sandy Leon, Rick Porcello, David Price, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia. Former Red Sox players David Ross, Mike Napoli and Jason Varitek also were suggested.
The most common answer? Pedroia, of course.
“I think probably the two guys that have some of the highest baseball IQs I’ve been around are Kinsler and Pedey,” Porcello said. “I don’t know if they would want to manage, but I could see either one of those guys having a good feel for being a manager and I think they’d do a good job.”
Pedroia says he’s not ready for that conversation yet.
“No, not yet,” he said. “When I get back from this (knee injury), I’ll be playing man. We’ll talk differently.
“Obviously I want to be out there playing, but it hasn’t been tough at all. I look up when I’m watching the games, I see a lot of our young guys and the way they’re going about the game, the way they’re playing, the way they approach it. I’m pretty proud of them. Some of them have little parts of me.”
Pedroia found out on Sept. 1 that his season was over, and while he still expects to be playing next spring, teammates have appreciated what he’s added to the dugout.
“Just try to keep the guys focused,” Pedroia said. “Even if the other team has a big inning or things like that. These games are long. There’s a long way to go. It could be the seventh inning and there are still two hours to be played, the way these games are going. Just keep them focused and positive because momentum can swing real quick.”
Pedroia played another role for the organization last fall, when president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski asked to speak with him shortly after the Sox’ season ended and John Farrell was let go.
The question: Should Cora be the next Red Sox manager?
“If he would have said a bunch of negative things, it would have influenced me,” Dombrowski said yesterday, speaking to the Herald in the Red Sox dugout.
Dombrowski thought Cora might be a good fit, but didn’t know if players would respect someone so young without any experience.
“I talked to Dave about it for probably like 30 minutes,” Pedroia said.
The phone call helped convince Dombrowski.
“Pedey’s feedback was very helpful,” Dombrowski said. “He could tell me about how he was as a player, with his teammates, leadership, knowledge of the game, the respect -- and I was also curious to see how (Pedroia) would respond to (Cora) being in charge, because they were teammates. He said, ‘oh, that’s easy, because even though we played together, (Cora) was always a little bit different, because he was sort of a leader and mentor for us way back then.’”
Teammates often speak the same way about Pedroia. He’s spent much of the year trying to get Mookie Betts to break out of his shell and become a more vocal presence. Betts admits he’s the quiet type, but believes Pedroia has helped him let his personality come out.
If Pedroia ever decides he wants to manage or coach, Dombrowski said there’s no question he would be a desired candidate.
“Oh for sure,” Dombrowski said. “He probably doesn’t need much of an interview, really...He has the respect of all the other players, he has leadership skills, he has drive, he has passion for the game. So I could see him being a manager in the future, if he so chooses do that. I don’t know if he wants to do that. I’ve never had that conversation with him. But the players respect him and respect his knowledge.”
To have Cora and Pedroia on the same bench, the Red Sox feel spoiled.