The Boston Red Sox have been a delight to watch in 2021.
Not just for the fans, either. Franchise legends are liking what they're seeing with this Red Sox team, too.
"I love it, I love it," Red Sox icon David Ortiz said Monday in an exclusive interview with NESN's Adam Pellerin. "I'm very confident about those guys. ... Bringing Alex (Cora) back, that's the best way to approach 2021, especially with the year we had last year. ... As a player, I can tell you when you play for a guy that builds your confidence, that is unstoppable, and I'm pretty sure that's what's happening with Alex and the whole team now this year."
The Red Sox had a down 2020 season, which prompted the club to make a number of changes to the roster, among them the additions of steady veterans like Kiké Hernández and Marwin Gonzalez. That's similar to Boston's 2013 team, which ultimately won the World Series after bringing in players like Mike Napoli and Johnny Gomes. You'll remember too that the 2012 season was a rough one for the Red Sox.
For that reason, the 2021 Red Sox have been likened to the team from eight years ago. Ortiz, a member of that 2013 team, buys the theory.
"I believe it, I believe it," Ortiz said, before explaining the value of veterans. "Baseball is always going to need some veterans around. I don't even know how come that part has been excluded from the game. The veterans are the ones who basically ... see things in slow motion so they can preach to the younger ones how to approach things. And at the end of the day it's a win-win situation. So the Red Sox making those types of moves, they're going to see the results of it, I guarantee (it)."
They're certainly on the right track.
