Remember when John Farrell needed to gather the perceived leaders on the Red Sox back in 2015?
"There was a group of guys that I had in to talk about a number of things," the then-Red Sox manager said at the time, with his team experiencing an early-June downturn.
Those guys? They were Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval and Mike Napoli. See a trend? Not a single pitcher. But that wasn't out of the ordinary considering how leadership is often perceived in Major League Baseball clubhouses. Player-driven guidance is usually sought out in all corners of the roster with a heavy emphasis on those who are on the field every day.
It's why when Alex Cora identified three starting pitchers -- Rick Porcello, David Price and Chris Sale -- as his go-to leaders Friday night it was of some note.
"Those three guys, they mean a lot to me in the clubhouse," the Red Sox manager said. "David, Chris and Rick. Whenever I have a message or whatever they're the ones that are always in the office and we talk about it and they take care of that stuff in there. In their own way, too. They're very different."
The leadership dynamic within these Red Sox might be a bit different than previous clubs but it is very real.
There are position players who exhibit strong presences in their own way. J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts come to mind. But the trio of starters is viewed by the entire organization as its key voices, as Cora confirmed.
No matter what the position, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Porcello explained to WEEI.com why pitchers can take on such rolls:
"I think when you talk about leadership it doesn't have anything to do with what position you play, or how many games or how many games you're not in. It has everything to do with you as an individual and how you carry yourself and how you impact other guys in the clubhouse. That's what permeates through players and creates a culture and that feel.
"You lead by example and you go out there and perform and that's one way to lead, but there are other things to go along with that. That's how you carry yourself in different types of moments. Are you a guy who can go over and pick up another teammate if they're down or whatever it is. So I don't think it's as much a positional thing as it is a guy's personality and how they affect everyone else on the team. If you do certain things that guys respect you for than you are establishing that presence. It doesn't always have to be a position player or somebody out there every day.
"Sometimes it's hard because we aren't out there every day like position players are. But we take a lot of pride in what we do and we work our ass off even if we aren't pitching that day."
So, how does a player like Porcello come into such a role? For that, there is no blueprint.
"I don't think about it at all. It's not something that is forced and you wake up and say, 'I'm a leader!' That being said everybody has a different perspective," he said. "Just go about my business and be as organic and in the moment as possible. That's it."
