Average players, like Alex Cora, often make the best managers. Also: Cora got Manny

It’s said that average players sometimes make the best managers, and there may truth to that baseball axiom.

Think of it: Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox, Whitey Herzog, Sparky Anderson and Dick Williams all got into the Hall of Fame thanks to great managerial careers, all of which followed thoroughly ordinary – at best – careers as players.

Why? Because journeyman players, the ones who aren’t in the starting lineup regularly, have plenty of time to study, observe and take note of what’s going on. Those same skills are then put to good use when they become managers.

That probably applies to Alex Cora, who will soon be introduced as the Red Sox 47th manager. In a 15-year major league career, Cora played in more than 100 games only five times – and all of those came early in his career while he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The rest of the time, Cora was a utility infielder – getting the occasional start, getting into games as part of a double-switch, coming off the bench late in games. He had plenty of time to watch and learn.

I found Cora to be among the most introspective players I’ve covered in 29 years on the Red Sox beat. He was a quick study, with the ability to understand the human side of the game as well as the technical aspect.

Cora was insightful in talking to me about teammate Manny Ramirez for a piece I wrote for ESPN.com in 2008. To Cora, Ramirez’s reputation as one of the greatest right-handed hitters in history didn’t come by accident.

“Obviously, he’s a natural,’’ commented Cora. “But he works at his craft every day. He doesn’t ever take the game for granted. Without a doubt, he’s the hardest working guy I’ve ever been around – and I’ve been around a lot.  I see him walk into the clubhouse every day with this big smile on his face. And I finally decided that the reason he’s so relaxed is because he knows – he knows.

And Cora instinctively knew that Ramirez was a much smarter hitter than most imagined.

“He’s got them all fooled,’’ said Cora. “I meet people all the time who want to know, ‘What’s Manny like? Tell me about Manny.’ They want to hear all the goofy stories. But they don’t about all the hard work. He hasn’t done all of this by accident.’’

Cora was one of the few players on the Red Sox teams from 2005-2008 who could get to Ramirez. When manager Terry Francona had a hard time getting through to Ramirez, Cora would act as something of an emissary. When Manny wandered off the reservation, Cora led the search party to bring him back.

At times, Ramirez was beyond reach. But if Cora couldn’t reach him, no one could.

That ability to understand personalities and relate to players who could be difficult may serve Cora well in the near future.