Alex Cora Challenges For ‘Monsters’ In Future Red Sox Bullpen
Boston needs a new identity from its relievers
The Boston Red Sox got tremendous pitching during the first half of the season. That tune changed after the All-Star break when the staff began to falter and post an ERA over 5.00.
The Boston bullpen shoulders plenty of that performance, lacking a widespread ability to miss bats and attack hitters. That’s a trend Alex Cora, who signed a three-year extension during this season, wants to see change in the near future. In his vision, he sees a new outlook for the Red Sox bullpen with improved stuff and better physical builds.
“We see it against us,” Cora told reporters at Fenway Park on Wednesday. “… It’s 97-plus. The decision making is hard. That’s why (Luis) Guerrero came into the game (Tuesday), 98, 99. At one point, velo matters. That’s something we’ll talk about in the offseason whenever we have to.”
Outside of Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen, who’s about to be a free agent, the Red Sox don’t have many dominant whiff-inducing relievers. Cora is ready for that to change.
“We still have to be better,” Cora assessed. “… Some of them, they’ve got to become stronger. Become monsters. When you show up to Fort Myers, you can see the change in the bodies. Look around the league. It’s something you see out of the bullpens now. Obviously, their stuff is going to be better. We still have ways to go to get better in that aspect.”
Cora credited a new approach to pitching in the MLB Draft this summer when the Red Sox made more than half of their selections on arms.
“We’ll keep talking about it,” Cora said. “We’ll make them better. I think there’s ways of gaining velocity for some of them. That’s something we’ll keep talking about.”
