Alex Cora did wonders in elevating the respective games of Boston Red Sox youngsters like Rafael Devers.
Will Alex Verdugo be the next player he gets to reach another level?
Verdugo, of course, was part of the return for the Red Sox in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. And by the time the time Verdugo arrived, Cora and the Red Sox already had parted ways.
But Cora is back now, and he's thrilled at the chance to manager Verdugo.
"I actually talked to him on Friday, it was a great conversation," Cora told NESN's Tom Caron on Tuesday in an interview the Red Sox shared Friday. "Looking forward to working with him on a daily basis. What I saw is a guy whenever all this stuff goes away and we get a packed house at Fenway -- he's already a fan favorite. Watching him on TV, imagine coming here and seeing him play on a daily basis.
"He brings it every day, he shows emotion -- which I'm OK with -- he cares and he can be so much better too. There's a lot of things that he can do and I'm going to put him in a spot to become one of the best players in the league, and hopefully I can help him with that."
In an otherwise disappointing season for the Red Sox, Verdugo was a bright spot the entire way and figures to be patrolling the Fenway Park outfield for years to come.
So, yeah. There should be plenty of reason to be excited about the Cora-Verdugo partnership.
