A requiem for the brand-name skipper: We’re a long way from the days of marquee managers such as Earl Weaver, Tommy Lasorda, Sparky Anderson, Whitey Herzog, and Tony La Russa.
In the analytics era, baseball managers are no longer dugout dictators. They’re cogs in the machine with marching orders from the front office. In an age where managers have been deemphasized, Alex Cora is still a difference-maker in the dugout. He’s proven that this season by mixing and matching, making do, and maximizing a Red Sox roster that looks ticketed to return the franchise to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
He deserves more credit for the Red Sox revival and serious consideration for American League Manager of the Year. Who else had arguably his best hitter traded midseason and maneuvered his club into playoff position?
The most important win for the Red Sox last season was getting Cora to agree to stick around and stick it out with the sustainability plan with a three-year, $21.75 million extension. Cora is the Face of the Franchise. It was that way before Rafael Devers rejected the responsibility of being a franchise front-man.
Read Christopher L. Gasper's full column at Globe.com/Sports | 
