ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In the communication and consistency department inside his clubhouse, Alex Cora appears to be winning.
Cora after Opening Day’s 6-4 Red Sox loss to the Rays made clear that he had made a choice regarding Craig Kimbrel’s usage before the game, and that the choice was not going to be reversed in the heat of the moment. The merits of the choice are one discussion, but the conviction to stick to the choice is another. Maintaining player trust is paramount, and there’s early evidence Cora is proactively doing so.
When it comes to using Kimbrel in non-save situations going forward, Cora on Friday afternoon put an emphasis on future communications. Kimbrel’s spring training was cut short, so they didn’t get to talk much.
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On one hand, it appears overwhelmingly obvious to this observer why Kimbrel should be jumping up and eager to pitch in non-save situations. But perhaps it does not to Kimbrel.
He is the best reliever the Sox have, one of the best anywhere. He should want to be used in the biggest moments. That moment often can arise at points other than when no one is on base in the ninth inning.
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Willingness to adapt will probably make Kimbrel more money as an impending free agent than recording traditional saves will. Either way, though, he’ll make a ton next winter. But he is a more valuable pitcher — and most important, the Red Sox are a better team — if Kimbrel shows an eagerness to change.
To this point, it appears Kimbrel is moving slowly in that direction, if he is not in fact resistant. Change does not come easy for many, in baseball or otherwise. And to that end, Cora does seems to want to play it safe and personally cover all the relevant ground with Kimbrel, who is in position to make a run at the all-time saves record.
"You've gotta present the data. I read somewhere, his first seven years were up there with the greatest relievers of all time,” Cora said Friday. “So you've gotta respect that, you know? There's certain information that is out there that he needs to see. I'm not saying it's hard, but you have to present information to these guys. He's been doing it for so long and he's been successful, but at the same time the game has changed and the way people think has changed.
“But I guarantee you Andrew Miller, it just didn't happen just like that [instantly where he accepted a versatile role]. You have to sit down with them, explain the situations and go from there. Everything is about communication. Everything is about communication. If you're hitting third, why do I want you to hit second? Well these are the facts and you have to present them. You have to inform them. That's the most important part.”
Cora is absolutely correct. The trick now will be ensuring the communication happens in the near future — these games count — and that ultimately, the communication is enough to convince Kimbrel.
“That’s a topic we’re going to catch up on probably in the upcoming days and show some information, show some data and we go from there,” Cora said. “He’s a guy that we feel he can get anybody out.”
“The thing about this high-leverage situation is like, for you, [you might think it's] the seventh inning. For Evan, it might be the eighth, and for me it might be the ninth. We bring him in in the seventh, and then the eighth happens, and all of a sudden we’re facing 3-4-5 in the ninth — everybody is going to be like, ‘Well, that’s the highest leverage situation.’
“I know [Kimbrel's] matchups probably look better compared to the rest of the bullpen. But there are a lot of guys there that pitch in high-leverage situations and have good matchups that we can exploit. We’ll talk about it, obviously, but as of now, we know where we’re at with him. The good thing is we understand why: not only for him, but for the group."
Soon enough, if all goes to Cora's plan, Kimbrel will further understand why change should be imminent.
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