Cora calls on Pedroia to inspire
Retired Red Sox second baseman becoming theme of 2021 season
The theme of the 2021 Red Sox season is starting to reveal itself.
It’s all about Dustin
Pedroia.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Manager Alex Cora was so enthralled with Pedroia’s retirement press conference earlier this month that he’s doing everything he can to get his current team to embody Pedroia’s attitude.
Last week, Cora said everybody should read Pedroia’s comments and learn from them. Cora is hoping to get some of Pedroia’s words permanently printed onto the walls of the clubhouse. And on Monday, when the Sox had their first official full-squad workout of the spring, Cora called on Pedroia to give the organization a pep talk.
“He’s going to be a part of this organization for the rest of his life,” Cora said, though he was quick to note that Pedroia won’t be coming back as a coach anytime soon.
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts said Pedroia’s message was a strong one.
“Everyone would love to see Pedey,” Bogaerts said. “I know it sucked for guys that didn’t get to play with him, didn’t get to know him on a personal level, how loud he was in that clubhouse. He always was something different, something special, someone that you looked forward to coming to the park and seeing. He was just so short, but he had the biggest mouth that could’ve walked into that clubhouse door. He pushed a lot of guys to want to get the best out of them. He was such a great player for the team and organization. He was true class, man.”
Principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner also briefly spoke to the organization, as did Cora, who wouldn’t reveal what he said, but surely had some explaining to do after he was suspended for the entire 2020 season due to his involvement in the ’17 Astros cheating scandal.
“I’m usually very open about these meetings with you guys,” Cora said. “With this one, I’m going to keep it to myself. It was a special one. It was a good one. I sent a message that I wanted to. Chaim (Bloom) did the same thing. Pedey did, too. But with this one, it was very personal for me, so I’ll keep it to myself. Sorry about that.”
Cha-ching
Count Bogaerts as one who took notice when the Padres extended 22-yearold shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year, $340-million contract last week.
“Great,” Bogaerts said. “Obviously he got a boatload of money, as you would say. It’s good for him, good for his family. He’s definitely one of the most talented players in the game as of right now.”
Bogaerts could hit the market after the 2022 season. His agent, Scott Boras, added the opt-out to the extension he signed in ’19.
“I haven’t even been thinking of that yet,” Bogaerts said. “It’s so far down the road. But obviously it’s a lot of money, you know, and much deserved. Some would say (Tatis) deserved even more. But when that time comes, we’ll go over that and see how that works. But as of now, I remember when I signed, I was like, ‘it’s such a long time before I would be a free agent again.’ Now, it’s like, some topics that are bouncing around, the opt-out and stuff like that. Like I said, time comes by quick, it flies quick, and the time you have to make a decision sometimes comes even quicker than you anticipated.”
Try this for size
Here’s a strange characteristic of the ’21 Red Sox that’s caught Cora’s attention: they’re tall.
“You look at Tanner Houck, you look at Garrett Whitlock, and you look at Bobby Dalbec and even Hunter Renfroe, we’re big and physical,” said Cora, who was generously listed at 6 feet, 200 pounds in his final season as a player. “We’re a lot bigger than 2019, I’ll tell you that. And that’s exciting. We got a bunch of athletes. They play the part. It’s not the small Red Sox from ’18-19, but that small team in ’18 did some great things. I don’t think size is going to decide who’s gonna win or lose, but at least athletic-wise, we’re in a great place.”
Don’t be stupid
Bogaerts had some advice for the young guys on how to handle the COVID-19 protocols.
“Just be professional,” he said. “Don’t always think about yourself. Think about your neighbor. Sometimes we think we’re invincible or nothing can touch us because we’re young. … Just try to think about others before you do something, I would say, stupid.”
Franchy delayed
The Red Sox placed newly acquired outfielder Franchy Cordero on the COVID-19 related injury list. They also claimed right-hander Joel Payamps off waivers from the Blue Jays. The 26-yearold has a career 4.15 ERA in the minors and just seven innings of big league experience.