Roenicke hire was right call — now more than ever
Ron Roenicke did not chase after any of the manager jobs that came open last winter. He was content to be Alex Cora’s bench coach for at least another season before deciding what came next in a professional baseball career that started in 1977 when the Dodgers drafted him out of UCLA.
But when Cora was forced out in January because of his prominent role in the cheating scandal surrounding the 2017 Astros, Roenicke stepped forward.
Roenicke told the Red Sox he wanted the job and more than that, he was the right person for it given the circumstances.
Given all that has transpired since, that’s more the case than ever. Assuming Major League Baseball and the Players Association agree on a deal to start the season, Roenicke’s familiarity with the players, coaches, and staff will be important.
“This will be a season unlike anything we’ve had before,” he said. “It’s something I’ve thought a lot about.”
Roenicke has been at his Southern California home since late March but is now preparing for what he hopes will be word to report to Boston or Florida for three weeks of workouts before the season starts in July.
The Red Sox have had only one team-wide meeting via Zoom since they disbanded in March. Most of the communication with the players has been done individually or in small groups. Roenicke usually reaches out via text messages.
“They’re hearing from the medical staff, the conditioning staff, and the coaches,” Roenicke said. “The communication is there. We’ve talked to them about a lot of different things.”
Roenicke said “quite a few” Red Sox players follow a rigid schedule from the time they come to the park until first pitch. Players have been taught to find a routine that works and stick with it. That typically involves interacting with a number of people on the staff.
“Hopefully we get to a point where we can do most of that stuff,” Roenicke said. “But the guys are going to have to be flexible with how much time we’ll have at the park.”
Roenicke also acknowledged the necessity of finding a way to get off to a good start if the season is only 82 games.
“You always want to get off to a good start. But over 162 games you’re not too concerned because you have time,” he said. “In an 82-game season, it seems more important.”
Teams are expected to have a 28-man or 30-man roster with as many as 20 players available on a taxi squad.
Since spring training was shut down, the Red Sox have had Nate Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Ryan Weber on a schedule that calls for two simulated innings twice a week.
The hope is that they could move up to three innings quickly once the team gets back together and build up to at least five innings before the season starts.
“That has been the plan and those guys have been doing what they need to do, getting off the mound and keeping their arms ready,” Roenicke said.
There’s also optimism that righthander Collin McHugh will be ready. McHugh, who was signed March 5, has started a throwing program after recovering sufficiently from an elbow injury.
McHugh is 51-39 with a 4.14 ERA in 119 career starts. He had a 6.37 ERA in eight starts last season before the Astros sent him to the bullpen.