The Wednesday, November 4, 2020

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Alex Cora is the right choice for the Red Sox, so what is taking so long to rehire him?

Peter Abraham

To what degree that includes chief officer is hard to assess. Bloom arrived Oct. 28, 2019, and Cora was prodded the door Jan. 14 after identified him as a protagonist in the sign-stealing scheme the ran in 2017.

They worked together for only 2½ months, but Cora and Bloom appeared in concert about the offseason moves a year ago.

Here is what Cora said about Bloom last Dec. 9 at the Winter Meetings:

“I think we see the game very similar. Obviously he’s going to bring some cool ideas. We’re going to make some adjustments in a few things, but I don’t think it’s going to change that much. I think in the as an organization our goal is to win the and be consistent.”

Now the choice for Bloom is whether to restart his professional relationship with Cora or hire , , Carlos Mendoza, or as the team’s third in three years and the fourth in the last five.

Fuld, a former big league from New Hampshire, joined the Phillies as their player information coordinator in 2017 before being promoted to director of integrative baseball performance.

That’s a fancy way of saying Fuld bridged the gap between the analytics staff and the clubhouse. But he hasn’t had an on-field position.

Kelly was ’s bench last season after coaching first base for Houston in 2019. He scouted prior to that. You may remember him as a for Detroit.

Mendoza had one year of minor league managerial experience with the Yankees, then joined their major league staff in 2018. He was the bench coach last season.

Rowson was Miami’s bench coach last season. He has 19 years of coaching experience, mostly as a hitting coach, and has never managed.

Prior major league managerial experience isn’t as meaningful as it once was. Eleven of the 16 managers in the postseason this year had no prior major league experience before landing their jobs, 12 if you count Sandy Alomar Jr. filling in for with the Indians.

Fuld, Kelly, Mendoza, and Rowson could all become excellent managers. Fuld and Rowson in particular are seen as having bright futures.

But I believe having meaningful experience in Boston is meaningful to succeed as a manager of the Sox, if not required.

From his time as a Red Sox player and an ESPN broadcaster, Cora had a finely tuned sense of the palace intrigue at , the expectations of the fan base, and what needs to be said (or often, more importantly, not said) in front of the media.

He knows what it’s like to be a Sox player and how to deal with the demands that entails. What made Cora the right choice when he was hired in 2017 makes him the right choice now.

If you feel compelled to for the moral high ground and reject Cora for his actions in Houston, so be it. But you can’t honestly believe that organization was on the straight and narrow until Cora showed up.

That doesn’t excuse what he did, but Cora served his sentence. The manager of those Astros, A.J. Hinch, got a second chance, hired by the Tigers. Cora should get his.

The Red Sox have been a chaotic organization for 10 years with their dramatic highs and lows, a rotating cast of GMs and managers, and team-building philosophies that change on a whim.

Bloom and Cora offer the best chance at long-term success. So why is it taking so long?

A look at the Red Sox managerial finalists beyond

Alex Speier

With the Red Sox managerial search in its late stages, the simplest way to distill it is to present a simple either/or: Will they rehire Alex Cora or not?

While that isn’t an unreasonable prism through which to view the process, it does a disservice to what those familiar with the search (inside and outside the organization) characterize as a tremendously impressive candidate pool.

In addition to Cora, there are four other candidates who had at least a second interview: Marlins bench coach James Rowson, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, and Phillies integrative baseball performance director Sam Fuld. Here’s a brief look at each:

James Rowson Marlins bench coach/offensive coordinator

Rowson, 44, has spent 19 years coaching in the minors and majors for the Angels, Yankees, Cubs, Twins, and Marlins following a three-year minor league playing career in the 1990s. Despite considerable strengths as a coach and leader, he rarely received mention as a manager, likely a reflection of how rarely a hitting coach finds his way onto another coaching/managerial track, as well as Rowson’s lack of self- promotion.

“I’ve known James for a long time — from lunches, BS-ing, getting together in the offseason," said Yankees vice president Damon Oppenheimer. "I never even had any clue that he wanted to manage.

“I think he’s definitely capable of [managing]. He has leadership skills. He had a real good feel for how to talk to players, talk to other members of a staff, and just be professional. I didn’t see it coming, but I can see him having the strength and being able to do it.”

That notion has gained credence in recent years. As the Twins hitting coach from 2017-19, Rowson drew raves for his ability to take modern swing concepts and individualize them to the strengths of hitters, helping the team set a major league record for homers in 2019.

Yet beyond his intelligence, communication skills, and knowledge of the swing and hitting, Rowson also helped Minnesota build an identity through its “Bomba Squad.”

“That felt like something that would happen under James Rowson," said a major league source. "He cares about culture. He cares about identity.

"He’s just this dynamic person. Calling him a hitting coach feels so limiting.”

The Marlins, who have several executives with a long history with Rowson from his Yankee days, felt he was ready for an expanded profile, tapping him as a bench coach and their offensive coordinator in 2020.

In that role, Rowson was praised for his ability to take player-development concepts from his minor league background and apply them in the big leagues. For instance, he used individualized workouts and instruction for players during summer training rather than a more traditional approach where they perform the same drills in groups.

Even as a hitting coach, Rowson built relationships with and other staff members. In 2020, his first as a bench coach, he was part of the running dialogue about game management.

“Obviously the results [in Miami] were good,” said Oppenheimer, “and he had something to do with that.”

Carlos Mendoza Yankees bench coach

Mendoza, 40, played in the minors for 13 years before spending the last 12 seasons as a coach and manager in the Yankees organization, first in the minors (2009-17) and more recently on the big league staff (2018- 20).

He has been part of the Yankees as they transformed into an organization that heavily employs analytics, getting credit for making that process comfortable for players.

“The thing I’ve noticed with Carlos that’s really special, he gets the respect of the player," said Oppenheimer. "He gets the respect of the clubhouse. He gets the respect of people in the organization — scouts and other coaches.

"He was always able to connect with the analytical side and use that to help the player perform at the best level he could while understanding that the player is actually a human being and things affect him.

"The player is not just a chess piece that you give a number to and he makes this move every time no matter what the pressure is. The player has a heartbeat. That’s one of the big things that Carlos, to me, seemed to understand. He got both of these things.”

Mendoza is credited with playing a role in the development of Gleyber Torres into a two-time All-Star, a sign of his ability to aid player development at the big league level.

In his work as both a quality-control and infield coach in 2018-19 and bench coach in 2020, Mendoza spent plenty of time working with front-office analysts and staff members and dealing with in-game decisions in real time.

Don Kelly Pirates bench coach

In 2016, Kelly’s 16-year playing career — which included parts of nine seasons in the majors — wound down as he shuttled between A and the Marlins. The Triple A setup in New Orleans wasn’t glamorous.

“It’s 1,000 degrees, humid, even when you get there out of ," said former Red Sox coach , the manager in New Orleans that year. "We’ve got 100 people in the stands every night. Tough place to play. Trying to keep that come-to-the-ballpark culture there was a challenge for everybody.”

But Beyeler had an ally in Kelly, who regularly checked in to see if there were messages he could help deliver to the players, and who likewise was able to relay player grievances to the manager.

“He was always a guy, you talk about those leaders, someone I could go to and say, ‘Hey Donny, can you talk to this guy? Can you clean this up and get guys out here?’ ” recalled Beyeler, now a minor league manager in the Tigers system. “He would handle it.”

Kelly spent time talking to Beyeler about game situations, just as he had at the start of his career when playing for . But while Kelly has always had a great feel for players and the view of the game from the dugout, he also recognized before he started his coaching career that he wanted to develop his relationships with other parts of organizations.

Thus, after his playing career, he spent two years with the Tigers as a scout before joining the Astros in 2019 as a first-base coach. Last winter, at Leyland’s recommendation, he was hired as the Pirates bench coach under first-year manager .

In those stops, Kelly, 40, got high marks for his intelligence, curiosity, and ability to relate to everyone.

“He reminds me a lot of [Diamondbacks manager and former Red Sox bench coach ]," said Beyeler. "He’s everybody’s buddy. He’s kind of like the mayor.

"He’s a good learner, smart guy, he was everybody’s favorite teammate everywhere he was at as a player.

"He’s going to be successful. He’s a good listener. He’s learned from a ton of people, bounced all over the place. He’s got a ton of experience.”

Sam Fuld Phillies integrative performance director

Fuld, 38, spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues as a valued role player, including three with Tampa Bay, where he played under then-Rays executive and current Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.

“He and Chaim were pretty tight,” said a major league source. “Who knows what that means, though?”

Since he retired, the Durham, N.H., native, who attended Exeter and then Stanford before pursuing his pro baseball career, has been viewed as a top managerial prospect —though he likewise has been regarded as a potential standout as a front-office member should he prefer that route.

Initially, he chose to straddle the line, beginning his post-playing career as the Phillies integrative performance director, a role in which he could help translate data-driven concepts in a way that players would welcome.

While the position didn’t give Fuld dugout experience, it did allow him to see the game from the perspective of players, the coaching staff, and the front office. His ability to navigate relationships with all of those groups — and to bridge both traditional and analytical views of the game — is a considerable asset.

One former teammate described Fuld as a “smart, personable, deep thinker who also possesses a ton of feel and ability to connect with human beings. He’s a huge candidate to be a … very good manager.”

That said, dugout experience — and a lack of familiarity with the accountability and potential blowback faced by managers over their decisions — represents an obvious gap on Fuld’s résumé, much as it did on Cora’s before he became a bench coach with Houston in 2017. One major league source wondered whether Fuld would find it “jarring” to be thrown into the Boston managerial crucible without an intermediate step.

Nonetheless, those who know Fuld believe he’d learn and adapt through early growing pains.

* MassLive.com

Boston Red Sox prospect Merfy Andrew has topped out at 101 mph, has bulging muscles from working out 3 times each day (minor league notebook)

Christopher Smith

Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Merfy Andrew spends approximately two hours training at the gym each morning, then returns home for the second part of his three-workout day.

“I eat. I do my protein shake. I take some (college) classes. ... And then I do Yoga,” Andrew told MassLive.com.

Baseball activity is next. The right-hander heads to the field to throw.

“Every that I throw is with a purpose,” he said.

The Red Sox signed Andrew — a 23-year-old who has topped out at 101 mph with his fastball — as an undrafted free agent in June. He is one of 14 amateur undrafted free agents who Boston signed after the coronavirus pandemic reduced the 2020 MLB Draft to five rounds, down from the normal 40 rounds.

Andrew began his college career at ASA College in Miami, then transferred to St. Thomas (an NAIA school in Miami Gardens). He went 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA in six starts for St. Thomas in 2020. He struck out 42 batters in 25 ⅓ (14.9 per nine innings).

Andrew is expected to work out at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers for the first time since signing Wednesday.

A native of the Dominican Republic, his body is evidence of the intense multiple workouts he does every day. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has bulging biceps, triceps and abdominal muscles. Leg day is even more important.

“I put more emphasis on my legs,” he said. “Because when you’re a , you need to have strong legs.”

He looks like an NFL or professional boxer. He has added about 20 pounds of muscle within the past year. He takes supplements, including protein and creatine.

Andrew boxed recreationally growing up in the Dominican. He also ran track-and-field (short distances) in high school.

“In the Dominican Republic, we have hills there,” he said. “And we used to run a lot.”

He has intensified workouts since the Red Sox signed him.

“I know I’ve got the ability but hard work beats the talent always,” he said. “So I believe in talent. But I believe more in the hard work. If you work hard, a lot of things can happen."

Andrew — who has been practicing Yoga for several years — arrived in the United States able to speak only Spanish. He initially studied at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa.

“I won’t lie to you ... I didn’t know any English there,” he said. “It was so hard for me.”

He enrolled too late to play baseball his first and only year there. He remained in Iowa that summer and played for the Storm Lake Whitecaps of the Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League. He then transferred to ASA College where he said he met more Latinos who helped him as he learned English.

“My priority’s always been baseball,” he said. “When I moved to the United States, it was still my priority, but not the only one.”

Graduating with his bachelor’s degree in business administration is one of his new top priorities. He takes online classes at St. Thomas.

While being scouted, Andrew said Red Sox’s Willie Romay asked him his plan if he didn’t reach the major leagues. Romay — who began scouting Andrew at ASA College — was pleased to hear Andrew’s commitment to school.

“Every time that I see Willie Romay we have a conversation for like two hours, talking about how I’m doing, what I’m going to do, what’s my goals," Andrew said. "He’d say, ‘Keep working. We’re watching you.’ Because at that time, I was struggling with my (control). He said, ‘Keep working and whatever happens, we want you.’”

Andrew added about his decision to sign with the Red Sox, “It’s not what you like. It’s who wants you."

Andrew must continue to work on his control. He said recent pitching coaches have emphasized better mechanics to help him become a more consistent strike thrower.

His fastball sits in mid-to-upper 90s. He said his is his second best pitch behind his fastball (two- seam). He also throws a .

“I’ve got a lot of people that believe in me,” he said. “I’m motivated by myself. Every day that I wake up, I get motivated by myself. I’m just trying to give to my family a better life. I work hard for my family — to try to get better and give my family a better life because they deserve it.”

Ockimey, Gonsalves, Pereda back

As MassLive.com reported earlier this week: pitchers Seth Blair, Stephen Gonsalves and Caleb Simpson, Jhonny Pereda and Josh Ockimey are all coming back on minor league deals after spending this season at the alternate training site in Pawtucket. Catcher Roldani Baldwin, pitcher Raynel Espinal and Joey Meneses and Johan Mieses also are returning on minor league contracts.

~ Ockimey, who turned 25 in October, still has a chance to platoon against right-handed pitchers in the majors. The left-handed slugger posted a .379 on-base percentage, .519 , .898 OPS, 21 homers, 16 doubles and one triple against righties for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2019.

~ Gonsalves, a left-handed pitcher, impressed with a mid-90s fastball at the alternate training site.

~ Pereda was acquired from the Cubs in March as the player to be named later for Travis Lakins.

~ Baldwin broke his ankle during spring training 2019, sidelining him for almost the entire season. And so he has appeared in only eight games the past two years.

Red Sox playing Winter Ball

Jarren Duran will play in for Los Criollos de Caguas.

Roniel Raudes and Nixson Munoz will play in Nicaragua. Eduardo Vaughan will play in Panama.

* RedSox.com

Offseason checklist: Sox's needs and moves

Ian Browne

After missing the playoffs the last two seasons -- including a last-place finish in the East in 2020 -- Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will likely be among the most aggressive executives in the game this winter.

“I think we need to put ourselves into position to make as many moves that further that goal of having a consistently competitive championship-caliber team as we can,” said Bloom. “We do that by being very active in conversation. We do that by making sure that we’re covering every possibility or at least as many possibilities as we can. Regardless of whether that turns into two moves or 20 moves, we just need to be ready.”

The Red Sox will be in the market for the type of impact arms who can make their 24-36 finish from 2020 a distant memory.

So what are the biggest needs for the Red Sox entering 2020, and what moves have they made to address them? MLB.com is keeping track here. As the offseason continues, be sure to check back for updates.

BIGGEST NEEDS

Starting pitchers Boston’s starting rotation had an ERA of 5.34 in 2020, which was 13th out of the 15 teams in the AL. will miss at least the first couple of months of ’21 in his recovery from surgery. Eduardo Rodriguez is also uncertain for the start of the season as he comes back from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart). That leaves as the only rotation member the Red Sox know what to expect from.

Now that the Red Sox have reset their competitive balance tax, will they be bold enough to try to sign , the top starter on the market? What about a veteran righty with big-game experience in ? A reunion with lefty could certainly come at a modest cost.

Relievers While the depletion of the rotation was a bigger storyline, the Red Sox had equally big problems in the bullpen this season, finishing with a 5.79 ERA, 14th in the AL. The Sox need to add more power arms from both the right and the left side. And unless they are sold on being a viable option for the ninth , they need to find a closer.

If Bloom wants to think big, he can go after free-agent righty Liam Hendriks, who has a 1.79 ERA while saving 39 games over the last two seasons. He could also go after dominant lefty Brad Hand after the Indians surprisingly decided not to pick up his $10 million option.

Second base The Red Sox still have no stability at second base, which has been the case for most of the last three seasons, in which has played a total of nine games. Don’t look for Pedroia to play again. Bloom will see if he can find a solution -- be it internal or external. DJ LeMahieu sure would look good in a Boston uniform, but would he switch sides in the rivalry? The Yankees extended him a qualifying offer, which means signing him would require Draft compensation.

MOVES MADE

Nov. 1: Declined $6.25 million option on lefty Martín Pérez; declined to extend $18.9 million qualifying offer to free-agent Jackie Bradley Jr.

* WEEI.com

Alex Cora reportedly met with Red Sox brass Friday

Rob Bradford

Alex Cora was back in town (at least for a few days).

According to the Boston Globe, the former Red Sox manager met with Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom and Brian O'Halloran Friday to discuss the Sox' vacant manager position.

Cora is one of five finalists for the job, joining Sam Fuld, James Rowson, Don Kelly and Carlos Mendoza.

The report states that the Red Sox proceeded to meet with one of the other candidates in-person Monday.

It remains unclear how Bloom views Cora's candidacy, with the two having worked together just a couple of months prior to the former Red Sox' manager's one-year suspension.

The Red Sox are the only team still without a manager, with the White Sox having hired and A.J. Hinch getting the job in Detroit.

Why making trades is going to be tricky this offseason

Rob Bradford

While so many are focused on the players who now call themselves free agents, perhaps more attention might be dedicated to trades.

This is, after all, how Chaim Bloom helped build the Rays. Trades, trades and more trades.

So it is with that in mind a warning should be passed along: As wonky as the free agent market might be due to the economics of baseball, trading in Major League Baseball could be just as unpredictable.

The reason for the potential changed way of doing things? After no minor league season, and the unusual landscape in the majors, identifying the true value of players has become more of an inexact science than ever before.

It is a reality articulated when appearing on the Bradfo Sho podcast:

“I would say less just because you just didn’t get a chance to watch your players compete over the course of an entire season,” Moore said when asked if organizations had more or less of a handle on their minor- leaguers after having to rely on the alternate sites. “The outside competition. The toughness is required to get through an a minor-league season and an entire major-league season. We’re certainly hopeful. We feel good about our current evaluations. But they’re incomplete. They just are. They aren’t what we’re accustomed to. I do believe the data and all the technology we have today helps us in that process. It’s probably more important to this process than at any other time in the history of the game, certainly since the onset of the technology. I think it kind of validates judgement and puts us more in a comfort level and allows us to compare it to past measurement and data. But again they’re incomplete. Baseball, as we all know, about commitment and a relentless focus on the day to day competition. The entire season. And we simply did not have that opportunity. We’re better than we would have been if we wouldn’t have played, but in the same sense I think it’s incomplete.

“Not only with your own players there is evaluation of the other 29 organizations. And it goes back to having a very secure feeling in the evaluations of your own players. I think the fact we didn’t have an entire season to do that maybe teams are less willing to move a player just because they just don’t know how this player is going to perform in the future. Nobody wants to get burned. Nobody want to give up on a player. Nobody wants to see a player succeeding with somebody else when they could have had the same type of success with you. And don’t confuse that. When you do a deal you want the player that you trade to do very well for the team that he gets traded to. That is ultimately how you evaluate success in this game from this chair. You traded a player that is helpful to another organization. You looked out for that player. That player received either greater opportunity or a chance to be better than he was and also you received a player or players that helped you as well. You want deals to work out for both organizations.”

Interesting enough, the aforementioned inability to watch players play in the usual setting has forced teams to rely on technology more perhaps than anyone anticipated a year ago, although, once again, the ultimate judgments are still going to be at least somewhat reliant on the human beings.

“I think we’re more secured in making those judgments because of the data, because of the information, because of the communication skills of many of the people who are presenting the information to the player,” Moore explained. “The openness of the player to accept the information and the constructive criticism and the desire to get better. I think it gives you a lot more security as an evaluator and as a decision-maker when you have the type of data that leads you to form an opinion of what a player is ultimately going to be able to do. Now, that being said, the player is the one that is going to have to make the adjustment. The player is the one who has to be open to that. They have to be willing to trust the process and realize they may not reap the rewards immediately but the long-term and the lasting affects are going to be really important to the player and the team.

“I think when 50-plus home runs he committed to a work ethic in the offseason that was different than he had done in the past. He was really spread out in his stance to start the season. Not a lot of load with his front side. More spread out. And inward rotation load, if you will. I want to say the first month he might have hit two home runs. Well, he stuck with the process and he went on to hit 50-plus that year. He could have easily abandoned that. Why did he stick with the process? One, he put in all that work in the offseason. He trusted his coaches. He trusted the work that he had put into it and he wasn’t going to abandon that process even though the results weren’t immediate. He stayed with it and he was rewarded with it.

"The technology, truthfully, helps communicate and get our point across better because he data is showing certain things and it’s reminding a player to stick with it because they can actually see the data and they can begin to understand it.”

When it comes to that 51-season by Jones in 2005, Moore knows what he speaks. The current KC exec was an integral part of a Braves front office that was led by John Schuerholz, who had one of the best reputations in baseball when it came to which players to trade and which players to trade for.

It’s why listening to Moore when it comes to how teams might want to approach doing deals is a worthwhile exercise.

“I think the most important thing is to have a very strong feeling, a secure feeling with the evaluation of your own players, your own talent,” he said. “What your roster projects in the next 3-4 years. But you have to have a really good sense of the evaluation process of your current players. That really puts you in a position to acquire the talent in a trade.

"The other thing that I think is really, really important in that is you can’t be so consumed with what you’re giving up. You need to focus on the player that you’re acquiring or potentially acquiring and how this player is going to affect your current 26-man roster and how they’re going to blend in that clubhouse and make your team better. I think often times trades don’t materialize because people are focused on what they’re giving up. Focus on what you’re getting in return and how this particular player is going to help you get you to where you’re ultimately going to be, and that’s to win a world championship.”

* NBC Sports Boston

Could Sam Fuld go from Sox fan to Sox manager?

John Tomase

The Red Sox boast a rich history of locally grown general managers, from Dalton's , to Brookline's , to Lebanon's , to Abington's , to Weymouth's Brian O'Halloran.

Less common is the homegrown manager, but maybe Sam Fuld will be the exception.

A native of Durham, New Hampshire and a lifelong Red Sox fan, Fuld has emerged as a candidate for Boston's managerial opening. The 38-year-old is a hot commodity, thanks to a unique skillset. Not only did he spend parts of eight years in the big leagues as an undersized, high-flying outfielder, he's also a Stanford grad with an economics degree who has spent his post-playing career acting as a bridge between the Phillies' players and analytics department.

In an era when the numbers increasingly rule, Fuld is the rare managerial candidate who's as comfortable dissecting the as he is staring down a 95-mph fastball.

That makes him a man in demand. In 2018, he interviewed with the Blue Jays for their managerial opening, and last winter he declined opportunities to interview with the Pirates, Cubs, and Mets, per MLB Trade Rumors, choosing instead to focus on his role as Philadelphia's player information coordinator.

He took the job on the day he retired in 2017, hired by former Phillies skipper in order to, "integrate the use of information in all areas of on-field performance and preparation and make recommendations regarding the most effective areas of future research and analysis."

Fuld's connections to Chaim Bloom, Boston's chief baseball officer, date back to their days together in Tampa Bay, where Fuld made a name for himself as a speedy and fearless defender from 2011-13. Before joining the Red Sox, Bloom worked closely with Rays manager , who has extensively integrated advanced metrics into his decision-making, perhaps to his detriment during of the World Series, when he pulled left-hander with one out in the sixth inning.

Former players who understand numbers are increasingly the holy grail for front offices, which is how Cash, A.J. Hinch (another Stanford grad), and former Red Sox manager Alex Cora rose to prominence, to name three.

Fuld fits that mold. He also brings extensive playing experience after bouncing between the Cubs, Rays, A's, and Twins, hitting .227 with 67 steals in 598 games. He spent over 600 games in the minor leagues, and he plied his trade in Venezuela playing winter ball, too, for good measure. Like many a manager before him, he can relate to the last guy on the bench.

He needs no introduction to Fenway Park. His dad was a dean at the University of New Hampshire and his mom is an Amesbury native who served as a Democratic state senator. Fuld sported Nomar Garciaparra posters and attended games at Fenway Park growing up. He gave his family a thrill in 2011 when he made his first appearance there with the Rays and went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, and a homer. He could've hit for the cycle, but he kept running in the ninth inning on a Wall ball .

His family probably thought nothing would ever professionally top that day, but who knows -- maybe someday soon, Fenway will be his office.

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Will Red Sox be willing to (again) risk a first-time manager?

Sean McAdam

Numerous reports have the Red Sox settling on five finalists for their managerial vacancy: Don Kelly, Sam Fuld, Carlos Mendoza, James Rowson and Alex Cora.

That’s a varied and diverse list — in every sense of the word. All five played pro ball, though Rowson never made it to the major leagues, topping out in A, then playing independent ball for a year.

None of the other four was a star in the big leagues, though it can be said that three maximized their potential and ability to enjoy a lengthy major league career. Kelly played for nine years and three teams; Cora played for six teams over 14 years; and Fuld play for four franchises in a career that lasted eight seasons.

But when it comes to managerial experience, one candidate separates himself from all the rest: only Cora has major league managerial experience. As it happens, he has two years of managerial experience with the very franchise seeking to fill its present vacancy, and in one of those, he captured a championship.

No other candidate has managed in the big leagues. Meanwhile, three — Kelly, Fuld and Rowson — have never managed at any level. One other — Mendoza — managed for two seasons in the lower minors in 2011 and 2012.

The question would seem to be: how important is managerial experience this time around?

On the face of it, the answer would seem to be: very. Managing in the majors is a challenge, and doing so for the first time in a market as big as Boston — with the attendant expectations, pressures and media responsibilities — is a daunting ask for any young manager.

Then again, Cora had no managerial experience whatsoever when he was hired in October 2017 to manage the Red Sox. Twelve months later, the Red Sox were World Series champs, having won a franchise-record 108 games in the regular season.

“Things have changed,” noted one major league executive. “(Experience) used to be a pre-requisite, especially in a place like Boston. But teams now are more willing to overlook (that lack of experience) if they find the right fit.”

Indeed, while it would have been unthinkable to envision someone with little to no experience managing in the big leagues, say, a decade or so ago, it now happens almost routinely.

Other than Cora and the Red Sox, was hired by the Yankees without having managed (or coached) at any level. In three seasons, he’s taken the Yankees to the postseason three times and twice won 100 or more games.

Similarly, had never managed when he was hired by the two years ago. It hasn’t held him back — the Twins have won the A.L. Central twice in two tries since he was brought on board.

Need more evidence? , who last week helped direct the to their first championship in 32 years, had never managed when the Dodgers installed him as their manager following the 2015 season. Since then, the Dodgers have won five straight West titles, three pennants and, of course, one title.

The also went with last year and qualified for the postseason in his first try.

Sure, it can be countered that, after a period in which experience almost seemed like a handicap, teams in recent years have sought candidates who had been in the trenches. Houston turned to venerable last winter to help steer the Astros through their post-scandal season. Philadelphia, having failed under first-timer Gabe Kapler, opted for the more experienced . And most famously, the White Sox completely went against type in the last week — bringing back 76-year-old Tony La Russa, nine years after he last prowled a major league dugout.

Track records and a bit of baseball gravitas aren’t unwelcome.

But more and more, teams are placing greater emphasis on other factors: Can a potential manager be collaborative? Is he capable of building relationships with players? Can he transmit data to players in an easy-to-digest way?

Those questions now take precedence over more familiar names. For too long, the industry recycled failed managers simply because they had a previous stop or two on their resume.

Now, experience isn’t completely discounted. But neither is it deemed essential — as the list of Sox candidates suggests.

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The Red Sox sign ?

Jen McCaffrey

The Red Sox rotation sprung so many leaks last season the team barely had enough arms to plug the holes on a day-to-day basis.

Over the course of 60 games, just one pitcher made more than 10 starts while 16 different pitchers were tabbed to start a game. It was, in a word, a mess.

As the offseason gets underway, adding to the rotation will be a priority.

A pandemic-shortened season has created significant uncertainty in the free-agent market, and several familiar names are seeking new teams. Among them is two-time Award winner Corey Kluber. Coming off an injury-plagued last two seasons, the 34-year-old right-hander saw his $18 million option declined by the last week. He’s an intriguing bounce-back candidate with significant upside, if healthy. So what if the Red Sox sign Kluber?

How does he fit in Boston? There’s no question the Red Sox rotation needs help. Chris Sale is recovering from Tommy John surgery and a timetable for his return (to say nothing of how he’ll perform when he does return) is still uncertain. The long-term impact of Eduardo Rodríguez’s COVID-19 myocarditis diagnosis is a massive unknown. Nathan Eovaldi enjoyed a relatively healthy season for the first time in several years, but will another injury crop up in the midst of a standard-length season? September provided promising flashes from rookie and newcomer , but how that translates in 2021 remains to be seen.

At the very least, Kluber would offer a veteran pitching presence in a clubhouse that has seen a lot of turnover. Last season the Red Sox used 26 different pitchers, tied for most in the American League.

Another interesting factor to consider is that Kluber and his family live in Massachusetts (his wife’s home state) in the offseason. Kluber works out at Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson during the winter. A rebound year close to home might be enticing for the starter.

What about those injuries? In 2019, Kluber made just seven starts after a comebacker fractured his right forearm. He subsequently suffered an oblique injury during his rehab and never made it back to the mound for the that year. Following the season, Kluber was traded to the Rangers for outfielder Delino DeShields and reliever Emmanuel Clase, but when the 2020 season began, rather than a bounceback campaign for Texas, he made one start before being sidelined with a grade 2 teres major strain in his right shoulder. He was shut down for the year.

Despite the shoulder issues, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reported last week that Kluber is scheduled to have a normal offseason and be ready for spring training.

While it’s been a frustrating, injury-riddled two years for Kluber, he’d previously been remarkably healthy. Kluber, who turns 35 in April, made at least 29 starts and threw at least 200 innings in five straight seasons from 2014 through 2018.

How much would this cost? Kluber entered free agency when the Rangers declined his $18 million club option for 2021. He originally had signed a five-year, $38.5 million contract with the Indians in April 2015.

Given Kluber’s resume, several teams will likely be pursuing the starter, but his health, not to mention his age and the weakened state of the free-agent market, are all factors that may mitigate the type of contract he’ll receive.

If Kluber hadn’t been hurt the last two years, he’d surely be seeking a hefty, multi-year deal. But teams seem to be approaching the winter cautiously, and that kind of money likely won’t be on the table this year. Maybe Kluber signs a one-year deal with a lower base salary, perhaps in the $5 million to $10 million range, with incentives for number of starts, innings pitched, etc. These types of deals are common for pitchers coming off an injury. The more the team gets out of the pitcher, the more he gets paid. Again, lost revenue for teams makes it nearly impossible to predict the type of deals they’ll be willing to extend even to the best players, but a one-year deal like this could help Kluber re-establish himself and re-enter free agency the following winter.

What’s the potential upside? The upside of a two-time winner regaining his health is at least worth a shot.

Over his 10-year career, Kluber has posted a 3.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 and made 204 starts. He finished top 10 in Cy Young Award voting five straight years from 2014 to 2018.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom isn’t averse to calculated risks, as we saw last spring when the Red Sox signed right-hander Collin McHugh. They knew McHugh was coming off a December arm procedure and wouldn’t be ready for at least the first half of the season. McHugh ended up opting out of 2020 after not bouncing back like he had hoped, but it didn’t cost the Red Sox much.

That Kluber is reportedly cleared for a normal offseason makes this scenario a bit different, but there is still a risk with the unknown of how he’ll perform, essentially having missed two full seasons.

What’s the potential downside? The downside is clear: Kluber gets injured again or never returns to his former Cy Young Award-winning self on the mound.

Of course, the Red Sox need to add more than just one pitcher to their rotation, especially balancing the risk of another injury. They wouldn’t be able to break the bank on Kluber, but with roughly $40 million in financial flexibility this winter, it might be a deal they’ll want to consider and one that has the potential to pay huge dividends.