Picking major league managers seemed so much simpler years ago.
He's a good baseball man.
There you go. There's your next manager.
Try that description now. Good luck.
When the Red Sox go hire their next manager he has to come to the table with so much more than a resume, LinkedIn page and some he-can-do-no-wrong references. He has to be the right fit in the right way and the right time. And when it comes to big league baseball teams, this certainly isn't a one-size-fits-all type of exercise.
The Red Sox badly misread the room when hiring Bobby Valentine, trying to go 180 degrees away from Terry Francona's way of doing things instead of maybe 10 or 20 degrees. Then the next year John Farrell was the perfect hire, bringing back just enough of the Francona way of doing things while fitting the needs with a roster primarily full of 30-somethings.
But when the roster turned over and a different kind of voice needed to be heard from a different group of players, Farrell's value had been altered. Priority was put on communication above all else. Enter Alex Cora.
"He knew how to talk and he knew how to be respected," former Red Sox pitcher Brian Johnson said of Cora when recently appearing on the Bradfo Sho podcast. "You respected him just as much as you trusted him. You respected him and you knew what he was talking to you about. You could talk to him if you had a family problem going on. If I felt stuff about pitching, or a bunt play or something that happened in the game, you could talk to him about that. The door was open. I never felt unsure to go in there. Never once was I like, 'I don't know if I should talk to him.' If I had a question in my head I was going in. There was never a doubt."
Cora was the perfect fit. Three years later, it's fair to ask if anything has changed.
What exactly should be the priority for Chaim Bloom when picking his next guy?
The Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer was part of the process when Tampa Bay plucked Kevin Cash off the Indians' coaching staff to become the Rays' manager. Bloom and the rest of Tampa Bay's front office were blown away by Cash's confidence, demeanor, ideas and personality. He wasn't Joe Maddon, but they weren't looking for Joe Maddon. Maddon was no longer the security blanket he had been while building up the Rays' reputation, as was evident by a 77-85 record in his final season in St. Petersburg.
For where they thought that Tampa Bay team was headed, there were different priorities when picking a manager. Cash checked the most important boxes, one of which wasn't experience.
The Jerry Reinsdorf White Sox White Sox thought experience was the most important thing. Hence, Tony La Russa. The year before Houston's priority was calming the chaos. Hence, Dusty Baker. The Tigers? They needed to show they actually could keep up with the new way of thinking while taking advantage of A.J. Hinch's availability.
Now we have this Red Sox team. It's one that returns three starting pitchers (Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi) who were staples on the 2018 Red Sox team. A left-side of the infield (Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts) and designated hitter (J.D. Martinez) that thrived under Cora. And a left fielder (Andrew Benintendi) who is desperately longing for his success of two seasons ago. But it can never be be about trying to bottle the past. That's where the 2019 Red Sox went wrong. This has to be about this group. This landscape.
It's easy to simply point to the ability to digest the tidal wave of analytics as a top-of-list type of thing. For some of these candidates, this is certainly going to be a huge selling point. They have to know what the numbers mean and then they have to convince the players there is a reason for the pages of information.
Super.
But that shouldn't be what is at the top of Bloom's priorities. Don't take it from me. Listen to a guy who was put in a very similar situation when hired to manage the Cubs one year ago.
"It was definitely a lot different than I thought it would be," said Chicago manager David Ross on his appearance on the Bradfo Sho podcast this week. "It's just more. I don't think you realize the managers you played for were dealing with stuff behind the scenes. Players issues that may come up with their family. Or things they were dealing with off the field. You're talking about training rooms. Strength and conditioning group. Coaching staff. A front office, especially in this season when they couldn't really have direct contact, and communicating with them and trying to keep them feeling good or what you're working on and how you're growing. There's a lot more that goes into it than just kind of managing the baseball team. Maybe most people know that, but I definitely don't know how many issues come through a manager's door on a daily basis. I have much more respect for the managers I played for now since doing this job for a year.
"Especially in the media, we talk about about the numbers and when guys are going good or bad or what the matchups might be whether it is in the bullpen or in the lineup with your position players. But you do have human beings who have feelings and heartbeats and egos. You know about that but trying to keep in the right frame of mind, pushing them in the right direction, the same messaging you want to create that embodies winning, and doing that in a way with the 26th or 27th guy on your roster or a superstar, they're all human beings.
"I felt like I would be a communicator as a manager, a guy who would err on the side of extra communication and I would say that's double of what thought it would be. You're always trying to make sure that they understand where you're coming from, how you're viewing them, how you're planning on them, how to set them up for success and how they can get better and grow and work. There are a lot of challenges for sure, but that's one that stood out. You could say the numbers all you want, but pinch-hitting for a guy in a big situation there's a lot more that goes into it than just a better matchup on your bench because there is repercussions in how they handle it and how to talk to them. You still have to make the move when you make the right matchups, but there is follow-up with communication. There is follow-up with what is going to happen next time. There is trying to let them know why you liked the matchup or why you were pinch-hitting. I try to let them know so they always let them know what I'm thinking and we're all on the same page and they continue to have the right frame of mind."
Lesson: Managing these days is less of a cookie-cutter proposition than ever before.
Communication and the ability to relate to your players. You don't have that -- especially in Boston -- you don't have a chance. This is what this team needs, no different than after 2017.
The list doesn't stop there, but that's where it should begin.
Chaim ... you're welcome.