Article: After A Rough Few Months Is It Time For Alex Cora To Be On The Hot Seat?

[vegasbob]

The reality is that at the end of the game when the W or L gets posted, it is the players, their situational play and thinking that determines the outcome.   Execution of fundamentals or great highlight plays , it is up to the players to understand their roles and abilities .

Does it occur to most of us that the talent and skill level of the current 26 man roster is a hodgepod of MLB  wannabes.  not All Stars ?    4 or 5 of each night's lineup since Bregman went out, just as a demarcation point, are bench type players at best .    Now we may have a great bench , but not a competitive team.

Sorry, but the only reason to play the game at MLB level is to win more than every other team.  This bunch cannot do that. 

[Old Red]

Two nights ago Cora said the Red Sox were getting close. Last night Cora had a completely different tone, and in a postgame interview, and pretty much said the Red Sox S U C K, and at some point it has to be on me. He watches every night, and sees the same thing the fans do, and doesn’t have a clue of what to do. Every year has been different for the last 4 years, but one thing has been the same, which is BAD fundamental baseball, which in turn has led to being a 500, or a mostly below ball club. 🤭🙈🤮

[TedYazPapiMookie]

On 5/30/2025 at 7:25 AM, mvp 78 said:

What did it look like the year they tried it without Cora in 2020? 

Per 162, it would have been a 65 win team. 

Losing Mookie was the 2020 season because Sale was gone too.  Cora's clone managed that year.  Cora provided him with the same mistakes in line-ups, playing time etc.  Cora directed from a far.

[notin]

10 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

It is mind-boggling sometimes when fans blame the manager for not making the roster he's given by the front office perform better. Why can't he just order players to make better contact, throw more strikes, catch more outs, and never get erased on the bases?

Or play first base!

 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

On 6/2/2025 at 5:06 PM, Kimmi said:

Having a starter pulled after 4.2 innings seemed to always hurt my fantasy teams.  LOL  It isn't just Cora who's doing it.

You are right about the manager being second guessed about pitching changes.  Regardless of the decision, leave a pitcher in or take him out, if the outcome is not favorable, Cora will be blamed or second guessed.

It's fair to second guess.  I don't think it's fair to lay blame. 

If a manager was a pitcher and a pitching coach before being manager, I am a lot more confident in their choice of pulling a pitcher than a bad middle infielder who never pitched.  He gets blamed for being a political hire rather than a manager who earned his job.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

12 minutes ago, notin said:

Or play first base!

 

Cora is too short for all the wild throws Sox infielders make. But he went to a decent basketball college, so he may have good ups.

[Hugh2]

1 hour ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Cora directed from a far.

That's a pretty serious accusation, was this a thing? was there any evidence of this? 

[Bellhorn04]

1 hour ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

If a manager was a pitcher and a pitching coach before being manager, I am a lot more confident in their choice of pulling a pitcher than a bad middle infielder who never pitched.  He gets blamed for being a political hire rather than a manager who earned his job.

Unlike one-time ace Terry Francona, right?  Maybe you hated him too 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

4 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Unlike one-time ace Terry Francona, right?  Maybe you hated him too 

Loved Tito.  Who didn't?  Did he cheat that I'm not aware of?

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Loved Tito.  Who didn't?  Did he cheat that I'm not aware of?

The point is you keep making a huge deal out of Cora being a mediocre middle infielder as a player.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

6 minutes ago, Hugh2 said:

That's a pretty serious accusation, was this a thing? was there any evidence of this? 

Two simple questions.  Did Cora mentor Roenicke his bench coach?  Do you know the specific terms of the slap on the wrist that Cora got?

I watched the 2020 games and for me the same mistakes were being made, and Cora is a convicted cheater so was it a coincidence that things ran nearly identical to when he was there while Roenicke managed?

Nothing sinister in my comment.  Just an observation that nothing changed.  Who knows maybe they used something other than a trash can?  Isn't the old saying "Once a cheater, always a cheater?"  There is no trust level for a guy who got caught twice, even if he avoided conviction the second time.

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

8 hours ago, vegasbob said:

Since I put the chances of making the playoffs at about 3.2% , go ahead and fire Cora now, if that is to be the outcome.   

As many note, Cora doesn't pitch nor hit , and it does appear the analytics dictate a lot of tactics by Boston.  Lastly the training and expectations through the minors system for the Red Sox are flawed.  The young guys are doing what they did to get to the 26 man roster.  They are too stupid to know the difference, and then get rewarded handsomely for being there with almost no production.

Well, what's the alternative? Running back the same cast of characters and expecting a different result?

I mean, 2 sub-.500 seasons followed by a .500 season followed by what appears to be another sub-.500 season.

Something needs to change.

[Hugh2]

7 minutes ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Two simple questions.  Did Cora mentor Roenicke his bench coach?  Do you know the specific terms of the slap on the wrist that Cora got?

I watched the 2020 games and for me the same mistakes were being made, and Cora is a convicted cheater so was it a coincidence that things ran nearly identical to when he was there while Roenicke managed?

Nothing sinister in my comment.  Just an observation that nothing changed.  Who knows maybe they used something other than a trash can?  Isn't the old saying "Once a cheater, always a cheater?"  There is no trust level for a guy who got caught twice, even if he avoided conviction the second time.

That would be a huge violation of the rules if Cora was managing the games from afar, and it just seems bonkers.  I think it makes more sense that Cora's style rubbed off of him as you said.  

[mvp 78]

2 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Losing Mookie was the 2020 season because Sale was gone too.  Cora's clone managed that year.  Cora provided him with the same mistakes in line-ups, playing time etc.  Cora directed from a far.

I see, so anytime you're confronted with an argument that refutes yours you just make stuff up. This should be fun having you around here! 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Ya, the manager must have cheated to win it all in 2018. Mookie was just a mirage that year.

In his career, Betts won the MVP once -- in '18 -- so clearly this is evidence.

Mookie only finished 2nd in '16 in Boston, and '20 and '24 in LA. He was in the top 8 three other times, and received MVP votes or made the All-Star teams in all 10 of his full seasons.

Betts' bWAR as a Red Sox was 42.5 in 6 years, but only 30 as a Dodger in 5 1/3 years so far. Obviously, he's slipping.

 

[TheSplinteredSplendor]

2 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Losing Mookie was the 2020 season because Sale was gone too.  Cora's clone managed that year.  Cora provided him with the same mistakes in line-ups, playing time etc.  Cora directed from a far.

[illinoisredsox]

14 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I see, so anytime you're confronted with an argument that refutes yours you just make stuff up. This should be fun having you around here! 

Can’t remember, is it you who has the “low baseball acumen” (not my words) or is that notin?

[TedYazPapiMookie]

11 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The point is you keep making a huge deal out of Cora being a mediocre middle infielder as a player.

Huge deal?  I am building a parallel between his performance as a player and as a manager since his traits were in common.  1 - No Talent, 2 - Uninspired attitude 3 - Willing to gain an advantage over his opponent any way possible.

Just a parallel not a big deal.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

20 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

I see, so anytime you're confronted with an argument that refutes yours you just make stuff up. This should be fun having you around here! 

Make stuff up?  That's vague.  Got any specifics.  

Don't read what I write and don't respond if you can't articulate your point.

[Bellhorn04]

8 minutes ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Huge deal?  I am building a parallel between his performance as a player and as a manager since his traits were in common.  1 - No Talent, 2 - Uninspired attitude 3 - Willing to gain an advantage over his opponent any way possible.

Just a parallel not a big deal.

No, it's a very big deal.  You're basically running him into the ground any which way you can.

And Cora was a better major league player than Francona, so your parallel makes no sense at all.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

9 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

Can’t remember, is it you who has the “low baseball acumen” (not my words) or is that notin?

I believe that's been said about you multiple times.  Since you can't make an intelligent argument I guess the insults need to replace interesting writings.  Must be difficult to have relationships when you can't handle when someone disagrees with you.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

1 minute ago, Bellhorn04 said:

No, it's a very big deal.  You're basically running him into the ground any which way you can.

And Cora was a better major league player than Francona.

Wait so you get to dictate what can be said by others?  Seriously.  I never brought up Tito, you did.  Cora disgraced the game with his actions and got a slap on the wrist.  That's a huge insult to former players.  I don't owe him an ounce of respect as a manager or a human being.  Cheating doesn't align with my morales but if it does yours, then be open minded enough to understand why so many of us are offended by what he did.

[notin]

22 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

Can’t remember, is it you who has the “low baseball acumen” (not my words) or is that notin?

Me? Low baseball acumen? Excuse me?

Actually thats a fair critique…

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Wait so you get to dictate what can be said by others?  Seriously.  I never brought up Tito, you did.  Cora disgraced the game with his actions and got a slap on the wrist.  That's a huge insult to former players.  I don't owe him an ounce of respect as a manager or a human being.  Cheating doesn't align with my morales but if it does yours, then be open minded enough to understand why so many of us are offended by what he did.

Totally sidestepping the point about playing careers.  Not surprising.

[illinoisredsox]

4 minutes ago, notin said:

Me? Low baseball acumen? Excuse me?

Actually thats a fair critique…

Just to make sure there’s no misunderstanding, I was quoting (it’s at least a close paraphrase, I’m not going to go find the post) one of our wordier posters.

[notin]

2 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Cora is too short for all the wild throws Sox infielders make. But he went to a decent basketball college, so he may have good ups.

Maybe if Cora had a friend.? One with some corner infield experience who was maybe a little taller?  Anyone leap to mind?

 

Cant go with 4’7” Andrew Vaughn here if height is important…

[notin]

2 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

Just to make sure there’s no misunderstanding, I was quoting (it’s at least a close paraphrase, I’m not going to go find the post) one of our wordier posters.

Don’t worry about misunderstandings.  I don’t understand anything…

[illinoisredsox]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

Maybe if Cora had a friend.? One with some corner infield experience who was maybe a little taller?  Anyone leap to mind?

 

Cant go with 4’7” Andrew Vaughn here if height is important…

Isn’t he down to 4’6” now?

[TedYazPapiMookie]

16 hours ago, Kimmi said:

You're right, it's very easy to second guess.  You're also right that a manager has a lot more to consider when making decisions than just what seems obvious to fans.  The fans aren't even aware of some of the things a manager takes into account when making a decision.

We also need to remember that just because a decision resulted in a bad outcome, it doesn't mean that it was the wrong decision.  And vice versa. 

All that said, most dugout decisions have little effect on the outcome of the game.  People tend to give too much credit and too much blame to the manager.

That's a tough comment to agree with.  Managers make LOTS of decisions that can hurt a team dramatically in a game but very few can significantly help a team.  I've mentioned a classic Cora negative impact in games.  He uses his bench when he gets a feeling and subs a lesser hitter for a better hitter based on his intuition.  That's bad managing.  He often doesn't run when the team should.  He often sets his line-up with poor logic that causes the team to lose more 1 run games than they should.  An example is batting Devers 2nd behind Duran when Duran is cold. (hitting around .200).  If Duran is cold and Devers is still producing RBIs at a league high rate a good manager understands it's because Rafaela is getting on base in synch with Devers hitting.  Moving Rafaela (a right handed batter) to the 2 spot and moving Devers to 3rd potentially adds a run in the first inning that currently isn't happening.  With all the one run games, a smart manager can make an impact on winning and losing.  1 more run in the first might be the difference in those one run games!!

[TedYazPapiMookie]

14 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

Totally sidestepping the point about playing careers.  Not surprising.

I get that you are having a hard time comprehending the point about Cora being a lazy player who didn't start most of his career but why TIto out of nowhere?  I never said anything about Tito and your big point is Cora was better than Tito.  That doesn't relate to the point of my comment.  I'm not side stepping anything.  You apparently have an issue with Tito that you somehow worked into a comment about Cora.  It makes no sense since Tito was never mentioned in my comment.