Why Kenley Jansen Thinks Alex Cora Makes Red Sox Young Players ‘Believe’

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has received high praise from his players throughout his six-year run at the helm of the team, including from closer Kenley Jansen.

The four-time All-Star, Jansen, in his second season with the Red Sox, has gotten to know the manager since joining Boston.

“(Cora) man, to be honest with you, that’s a real player’s manager,” Jansen told the “Foul Territory” podcast. “I feel like it’s a guy that played this game for a long time and he knows how hard the game is. The way how he talks to you in things and make you buy into it so he’s really good at it.”

Before becoming the manager of the Red Sox, Cora played 14 seasons in the MLB with various teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Red Sox, New York Mets and more. He retired as a player in 2011 before transitioning into a coaching role with the Houston Astros in 2017.

With the experience Cora has compiled throughout the years, many players have looked up to him, especially young players.

Boston has many youngsters on their roster, including 25-year-old Bryan Bello and Wilyer Abreu. Jansen believes that Cora has been a light for the Red Sox, especially for the young players.

“He makes the young guys believe,” Jansen said.

Cora conducts team meetings every once in a while and decided to have one after the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees and Philidelphia Phillies while they were in Toronto. In the meeting, Cora helped Boston continue to stay motivated.

“After you come winning two big series like that and you’re going to face Toronto, things can go bad in a hurry, but he kept us together,” Jansen said. “So, he makes you really buy into things.”

Boston will now attempt to bounce back in their series against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET with all game coverage on NESN.