Before the Boston Red Sox made their way onto the diamond in Fort Myers, Fla. on Monday, manager Alex Cora had all eyes on him.
Cora addressed his team prior to the Red Sox’s first full squad workout of Spring Training, which always gets the butterflies going for the skipper.
“It’s always cool,” Cora told reporters, per team-provided video. “I’ve done it five years and you get nervous or anxious about the message. You don’t want to mess it up. Just to be in front of the guys and let them know how I feel about where we’re at and what we’re trying to accomplish is always cool.”
Cora had plenty of familiar and unfamiliar faces looking back at him as the Red Sox went through a roster redesign this offseason after finishing in last place in the American League East in 2022.
Cora fully understands the Red Sox need to improve in several areas to avoid a repeat performance this season, but he centered his message on more than just baseball.
“There’s other stuff that I think as an organization we want the players to do. Be involved in the community, be a good citizen. It’s not only about what we do on the field, but I think we got some quality individuals,” Cora said. “It’s a new chapter in the Red Sox. There are a lot of people that are gone. A lot of new people that are here. We talk about rings and Cy Young Awards and quality individuals and Roberto Clemente awards — we do feel like as an organization we’re in a good spot.
“Obviously, the baseball part of it we got to get better. It was kind of like an all-around message what we’re trying to accomplish as an organization beside the baseball part of it. So, it was a refreshing one.”
