Video: Is Alex Cora On the Hot Seat? Should He Be?

[mvp 78]

21 hours ago, Old Red said:

Yes, but this is the 4th year in a row the club has played like this.

2022: End of the line for the old core, Bloom doesn't add at the deadline, team fades

2023: Young team that was DREADFUL up the middle and bad starting pitching

2024: No 1B/2B/SS, starting pitching fell off down the stretch

2025: starting pitching not great except for Crochet, no 1B/SS production (supposed to be top of the order hitters)

If the starting pitching keeps being awful, it's hard to blame Cora. If Casas keeps getting hurt, it's hard to blame Cora. If Story keeps getting hurt or underperforming, it's hard to blame Cora. 

Breslow needs to really shake something up here internally with some of these guys. 

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

2022: End of the line for the old core, Bloom doesn't add at the deadline, team fades

2023: Young team that was DREADFUL up the middle and bad starting pitching

2024: No 1B/2B/SS, starting pitching fell off down the stretch

2025: starting pitching not great except for Crochet, no 1B/SS production (supposed to be top of the order hitters)

If the starting pitching keeps being awful, it's hard to blame Cora. If Casas keeps getting hurt, it's hard to blame Cora. If Story keeps getting hurt or underperforming, it's hard to blame Cora. 

Breslow needs to really shake something up here internally with some of these guys. 

Well, considering that the sox change GM's like most people change their calendars, cora is the constant.

[mvp 78]

26 minutes ago, TheSplinteredSplendor said:

And you know this after sitting down for tea and crumpets with john henry?

If they wanted to move on from Cora, they wouldn't have extended him. Ownership loves the guy. They had the opportunity to distance themselves from him after the Astros stuff came up and they brought him back the minute they could. Over and over again they've shown they want Cora around. He'll be here longer than Breslow, Bailey and many others. 

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

If they wanted to move on from Cora, they wouldn't have extended him. Ownership loves the guy. They had the opportunity to distance themselves from him after the Astros stuff came up and they brought him back the minute they could. Over and over again they've shown they want Cora around. He'll be here longer than Breslow, Bailey and many others. 

Things change and he wouldn't be the 1st to be let go following an extension.

[Old Red]

41 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Cora has outlasted multiple GM's/CBO's at this point. 

Most likely will outlast Brez too, and may even take Brez’s job, or be his boss.

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Most likely will outlast Brez too, and may even take Brez’s job, or be his boss.

I don't know if JH sees him as a FO guy tho. That's the weird thing! They like him in the dugout, but maybe not upstairs. 

[Old Red]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I don't know if JH sees him as a FO guy tho. That's the weird thing! They like him in the dugout, but maybe not upstairs. 

Interesting,but there seem to be some front office talk from Cora a couple of years ago when he was telling reporters he was  going to safe when Bloom was getting the boot.

[Bellhorn04]

16 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I don't know if JH sees him as a FO guy tho. That's the weird thing! They like him in the dugout, but maybe not upstairs. 

We really have very little clue what JH is thinking about the Sox any more.  He says nothing.

There has to be frustration though.  They spent on this team, they had 3 hot prospects, but it looks like a train wreck.

The Sons of Sam Horn boys are pointing fingers at Cora but also at Bailey and at the hitting approach.  There's something obviously wrong with the way this team is being run.

  

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

We really have very little clue what JH is thinking about the Sox any more.  He says nothing.

There has to be frustration though.  They spent on this team, they had 3 hot prospects, but it looks like a train wreck.

The Sons of Sam Horn boys are pointing fingers at Cora but also at Bailey and at the hitting approach.  There's something obviously wrong with the way this team is being run.

  

You can point at Cora, but the guys on the field have to produce. Sox are 27th in starting pitching fWAR for May. That's not going to get it done. Can't put that on Cora. Houck is toast. Bello is not good. Gio should not have been counted out. Maybe Buehler can come back and give them something? Maybe put Newcomb back in the rotation? 

Crochet

Buehler

Dobbins

Bello

Newcomb

[Old Red]

9 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

We really have very little clue what JH is thinking about the Sox any more.  He says nothing.

There has to be frustration though.  They spent on this team, they had 3 hot prospects, but it looks like a train wreck.

The Sons of Sam Horn boys are pointing fingers at Cora but also at Bailey and at the hitting approach.  There's something obviously wrong with the way this team is being run.

  

You don’t hear as much about Bailey’s effect on the pitching staff this year. On paper this team should be better even with injuries to the rotation, but it’s that situational stuff that gets you every time.

[Old Red]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

You can point at Cora, but the guys on the field have to produce. Sox are 27th in starting pitching fWAR for May. That's not going to get it done. Can't put that on Cora. Houck is toast. Bello is not good. Gio should not have been counted out. Maybe Buehler can come back and give them something? Maybe put Newcomb back in the rotation? 

Crochet

Buehler

Dobbins

Bello

Newcomb

Bello, and Houck have really put a damper on things. Whit too.

[Bellhorn04]

1 minute ago, Old Red said:

You don’t hear as much about Bailey’s effect on the pitching staff this year.

I think you're going to start hearing about it, but in the wrong direction.

Can't shake the feeling the Sox have gone all in on certain 'scientific'/'philosophical' approaches that just aren't working.

[mvp 78]

18 minutes ago, Old Red said:

Bello, and Houck have really put a damper on things. Whit too.

I heard that Whitlock is potentially tipping pitches? Anyone else hear that? 

[Bellhorn04]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

I heard that Whitlock is potentially tipping pitches? Anyone else hear that? 

Yes.

[mvp 78]

15 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

I think you're going to start hearing about it, but in the wrong direction.

Can't shake the feeling the Sox have gone all in on certain 'scientific'/'philosophical' approaches that just aren't working.

The pitching wasn't good before Bailey. Hard to blame him for them not being good now. Chicken 💩 chicken salad. 

Buehler is pitching better than expected and has tweaked stuff. Chapman has been better. Wilson has been better. Weissert has been good. 

That Bailey got Houck to be a an All Star is probably a miracle. Slaten was a Rule 5 pick and Bailey convinced us he was a potential closer. Giolito is coming off a career altering surgery. 

They've given Bello every opportunity to be the guy in Boston. He just isn't. 

[Old Red]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I heard that Whitlock is potentially tipping pitches? Anyone else hear that? 

It took him 32 pitches to get through an inning the other night to, so his control hasn’t been all that great either.

[Bellhorn04]

23 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

The pitching wasn't good before Bailey. Hard to blame him for them not being good now. Chicken 💩 chicken salad. 

Buehler is pitching better than expected and has tweaked stuff. Chapman has been better. Wilson has been better. Weissert has been good. 

That Bailey got Houck to be a an All Star is probably a miracle. Slaten was a Rule 5 pick and Bailey convinced us he was a potential closer. Giolito is coming off a career altering surgery. 

They've given Bello every opportunity to be the guy in Boston. He just isn't. 

Houck had some success before Bailey came along.  Bailey made a pretty big change in his pitch mix, and it worked great at first, but it seems like hitters rapidly caught on.  Now he looks like a total writeoff. 

I have no idea how much of it is Bailey's fault.  It's all speculation.  But when things turn to s**t there's going to be speculation aplenty.

 

 

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

33 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I heard that Whitlock is potentially tipping pitches? Anyone else hear that? 

I haven't. Where did you hear this?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

54 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

There's something obviously wrong with the way this team is being run.

  

Personnel is obviously a problem, but here are two miserably faulty Red Sox approaches:

1). pitchers throwing more breaking pitches that cause more contact so bad defenders have to make more plays.

2). batters trying to hit every ball in the air, even at the expense of nightly rally-killing strikeouts. 

Acquiring Crochet and Chapman were good moves because strikeout pitchers don't pitch to contact. Signing Bregman was obviously good, because he's a star batter who can actually field.

You can't replace most of the others all at once, especially high-paid busts under contract, but you can change approaches #1 and #2 with coaching mandates... especially the latter -- because professional hitters with hand-eye coordination elite enough to get them into the majors can all handle a bat with two strikes, choke up, get closer to the plate, and shorten their swings to make. freaking. contact.

 

[mvp 78]

13 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Houck had some success before Bailey came along.  Bailey made a pretty big change in his pitch mix, and it worked great at first, but it seems like hitters rapidly caught on.  Now he looks like a total writeoff. 

I have no idea how much of it is Bailey's fault.  It's all speculation.  But when things turn to s**t there's going to be speculation aplenty.

 

 

What was good about Houck before Bailey? 

'23: 21 GS, 106 IP, 5.01 ERA, 4.07 xFIP, 1.2 fWAR

'22: most of the time in the bullpen

'21: 13 GS, 58 IP, 3.68 ERA, 3.08 xFIP, 1.8 fWAR

'20: 3 GS, 17 IP, 0.53 ERA, 3.73 xFIP, 0.4 fWAR

You have to go back several seasons to find when Houck was good in a starters role. Even then, he didn't pitch a full season. For years we've wondered if he's better in a late inning role rather than a starter's role and have him just let it rip. 

[Old Red]

8 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

What was good about Houck before Bailey? 

'23: 21 GS, 106 IP, 5.01 ERA, 4.07 xFIP, 1.2 fWAR

'22: most of the time in the bullpen

'21: 13 GS, 58 IP, 3.68 ERA, 3.08 xFIP, 1.8 fWAR

'20: 3 GS, 17 IP, 0.53 ERA, 3.73 xFIP, 0.4 fWAR

You have to go back several seasons to find when Houck was good in a starters role. Even then, he didn't pitch a full season. For years we've wondered if he's better in a late inning role rather than a starter's role and have him just let it rip. 

It was hard to judge Houck who went back, and forth between Sarting, closing, and BP, and also had a couple of injuries along the way. Last year, he stayed healthy, stayed in the rotation, and piled up his most innings.

[mvp 78]

16 minutes ago, Old Red said:

It was hard to judge Houck who went back, and forth between Sarting, closing, and BP, and also had a couple of injuries along the way. Last year, he stayed healthy, stayed in the rotation, and piled up his most innings.

It was hard to judge that he was a good starter IMO. A lot of us saw him as a fringe starter going into 2024! 

[Bellhorn04]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

It was hard to judge that he was a good starter IMO. A lot of us saw him as a fringe starter going into 2024! 

Bailey got a few good months out of him.  

Bailey hasn't really proved his methods are effective with any of our pitchers for very long.

Plus a lot of them are getting injured.

[mvp 78]

14 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Bailey got a few good months out of him.  

Bailey hasn't really proved his methods are effective with any of our pitchers for very long.

Plus a lot of them are getting injured.

Pitchers are getting injured everywhere. KC is second in starter fWAR and just put Ragans and Lugo on the IL. 

[Hitch]

On 5/17/2025 at 6:01 PM, notin said:

Way too early?

Since 2018, the Sox are 435-421 under Cora, despite having a payroll in the upper half (and in most seasons, upper third) of MLB.  John Farrell was 432-378 as Boston manager, won more AL East pennants than any manager in team history, and was coming off back-to-back pennants when he got fired…

That's a pretty simplistic way of looking at it though. I'd argue Farrell was given far more competent rosters than most of what Cora has had at his disposable. 

That said, this team is making a lot of continued mistakes around errors and odd batting practises. And that lands on Cora. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Interesting that Cora misses a game, and Vazquez gets appointed pinch-skipper -- not Varitek.

Could be the big guy really doesn't want to be in charge of (or blamed for) a team that has still lost more than it's won.

Would he be interested as the heir apparent? Does the front office even consider him managing material?

Saturday is the one-third mark of the long season (and Memorial Day is a week early this year). It may still be May, but that's a large slice out of any pie.

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Interesting that Cora misses a game, and Vazquez gets appointed pinch-skipper -- not Varitek.

Could be the big guy really doesn't want to be in charge of (or blamed for) a team that has still lost more than it's won.

Would he be interested as the heir apparent? Does the front office even consider him managing material?

Saturday is the one-third mark of the long season (and Memorial Day is a week early this year). It may still be May, but that's a large slice out of any pie.

Vazquez is the Bench Coach. He's the next guy up if Cora is tossed out of the game. Why would the "Game Planning and Run Prevention Coach" get precedence? 

[jdc69]

23 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Personnel is obviously a problem, but here are two miserably faulty Red Sox approaches:

1). pitchers throwing more breaking pitches that cause more contact so bad defenders have to make more plays.

2). batters trying to hit every ball in the air, even at the expense of nightly rally-killing strikeouts. 

Acquiring Crochet and Chapman were good moves because strikeout pitchers don't pitch to contact. Signing Bregman was obviously good, because he's a star batter who can actually field.

You can't replace most of the others all at once, especially high-paid busts under contract, but you can change approaches #1 and #2 with coaching mandates... especially the latter -- because professional hitters with hand-eye coordination elite enough to get them into the majors can all handle a bat with two strikes, choke up, get closer to the plate, and shorten their swings to make. freaking. contact.

 

Yes, both points, point to them not believing in contact, but theres so many more ways to score with someone on 3rd with less than 2 outs than swinging for the fences, and that needs to be practiced. I also like contact pitchers. We have a good defense, its just that we are feeling the pressure which is causing errors. If we could've driven home some of these base runners we could have won some of these games and there wouldn't be as much pressure. We are last or close to last in scoring with runners in scoring position and productive outs.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

1 hour ago, jdc69 said:

 We have a good defense, its just that we are feeling the pressure which is causing errors.

No, they've been a poor fielding team for a while now.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

2 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Vazquez is the Bench Coach. He's the next guy up if Cora is tossed out of the game. Why would the "Game Planning and Run Prevention Coach" get precedence? 

Maybe since Varitek has been loyal to org, reportedly turned down a recent offer to manage the Mariners, and someone upstairs might like to see how he comports himself at the helm. 

Fans would at least like to see Tek get mad at a call at the plate, and if the ump tries to eject his player, defend his guy by grabbing the catcher's mitt and stuffing it into Blue's facemask.