Ron Roenicke believes he will bring one specific aspect above all others to his position as the Boston Red Sox’s interim manager.
The 63-year-old Roenicke was officially elevated from bench coach to interim manager Tuesday. During a press conference in Fort Myers, Fla., he revealed what he felt he brings to the position.
“The main thing that I think I do the best is get most out of the players,” Roenicke said, as seen on NESN. “In that, it really doesn’t change so much as whether you’re a coach and a manager. That really is your ultimate goal. What do you have to do to get whatever abilities these guys have, to perform those abilities on the field?
“So, that is what I think that I do the best. And again, I think it’s all the experiences that I talk about as a player — I was released a few times, sold once, I went up and down all the time. So, all those experiences build the idea of how tough it is on these guys.”
The Red Sox have a seasoned leader in Roenicke, who served as bench coach under Alex Cora for two seasons, including the organization’s World Series title-winning campaign in 2018. The fact he’s been around the organization will make it more likely he’s able to connect with players, and thus help get the most out of them.
“The guys that play every day, the superstars, it’s hard to perform at this level that they’re expected to play at every year, but it’s the guys that bouncing around,” Roenicke said. “They’re trying to keep jobs, and bullpen guys that turnover so much, it’s trying to reach them and get them to understand how it is mentally to go about your job in a way that gets the most out of them.
“And everybody’s different. Some guys are so darn confident that you don’t have to say a thing to them and then there’s other guys who you have to spend a lot of time with them,” he added. “So, those are the things that I think are important to me.”
Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training Tuesday.
