Alex Cora's path to the Red Sox dugout began as a player

It was 2005 and Alex Cora had reason to think he was being picked on by his new manager. Neither Cora nor the manager at the time can remember the specifics, but a dozen years later, the details remain unimportant.

“I do remember having a conversation with him,’’ recalled Terry Francona, who had won a World Series with the Red Sox in the previous season. “I said, ‘AC, if it seems like I’m being harder on you than with others, it’s because I am. It’s because I see qualities in you. I see a future for you, whether it’s being a coach or a manager.’ ‘’

Francona could see Cora’s aptitude for the game, even if Cora, obtained mid-season as some bench help for the Red Sox, was somewhat limited as a player. Cora was already with the third team in his major league career, with three more stops still to come.

In his 13-year major league career, Cora played more than 130 games just three times. But as is frequently the case with role players, Cora made good use of his time on the bench, somewhat out of necessity. He never knew when he would be called upon to pinch-run, or pinch-hit, or be part of a double-switch, so Cora internally managed the game.

“I was able to survive for 13 years,’’ said Cora, “because I was always thinking about the game and different situations.’’

He anticipated moves. He fast-forwarded an inning or two at a time, sure to be ready for an upcoming matchup. He was ever-ready.

It turned out to be good career preparation. Francona’s hunch was correct. A year ago, Cora’s coaching career began when he was named bench coach of the Houston Astros. Then, last month, he was named the 47th manager of the Red Sox.

Francona wasn’t the first to sense Cora’s future career path, and he surely wasn’t the last. Wherever he played professionally, invariably, teammates, coaches and managers noted his superior instincts for the game, his in-game awareness and his native intelligence.

Initially, Cora rejected that sort of praise and instead saw it as something of a backhanded compliment.

“I was like, ‘Whoa, what are these guys trying to do – push me out (of a playing career)?’ ‘’ recalled Cora with a chuckle. “I wasn’t ready to stop playing.’’

Indeed, Cora’s 13-year stay in the big leagues was far longer than the average playing career, and given his modest talent (in the context of the major leagues), was longer than might have been expected.

”In Alex, I saw a thoughtful teammate, capable of strategizing and calculating during our games,’’ said newly-hired Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, who played with Cora in Boston and, like Cora, will be a rookie manager in 2018. “AC was, and is, calm, confident and measured.’’

Following a four-year hiatus in the media working for ESPN, the predictions of a coaching or managing career have come to fruition.

It was Cora’s baseball intellect that helped convince the Red Sox that he was ready for the job despite not having any minor or major league experience as a manager.

“There are some players,’’ explained Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, “that you know manage every single play that they’re involved in. They’re thinking all the time, thinking what they would be doing. That was apparent (with Alex), so not managing (before) at the major league level was not an obstacle for us.’’

Beyond the opportunity to watch the game from a strategic perspective, being a bench player should help Cora in other ways, too.

“I personally always thought it was an advantage to not be an everyday player,’’ said Francona, who was an outstanding collegiate player and a first-round pick who saw his major league career limited – and ultimately curtailed -- by a series of injuries,  “because you’ve got to be able to communicate with players. The experiences you go through (as a reserve) are good for you to understand what others are going through.’’

That’s perhaps why so few great players have become great managers. For every Hall of Fame player successfully managing (Paul Molitor, for example), there are many more like Tommy Lasorda, Sparky Anderson and Tony La Russa, who barely merited playing time but became legendary managers when their modest careers concluded.

“It’s not important what you did (as a player),’’ noted Francona. “It’s what you were able to get out of your experience.’’

John McLaren was a coach on the Red Sox’ staff of Jimy Williams and later coached under manager Jim Riggleman with the Washington Nationals in 2011, Cora’s last season as a player.

“He was a student of the game and was one of the most prepared players I ever saw,’’ recalled McLaren.

Cora never knew when or where he might be needed, so he made sure to prepare for every eventuality – even during infield practice.

“He was the first guy I ever saw who took ground balls at all four positions,’’ said McLaren.  “Usually, you might take it at one or two. I had never seen anyone take it at all four. That got my attention. That was Alex.’’

By 2011, at age 35, Cora knew his playing career was winding down and McLaren saw him getting ready for what might be next.

“He was always asking questions, always looking to learn,’’ said McLaren. “You could tell he was preparing himself for when his playing career was over. I got that impression. You could see him getting ready. He would watch and be thinking ahead to where he might be used. He was always into the game and you could tell he was definitely storing knowledge away.’’

Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, long viewed as one of the game’s top dugout tacticians, was another who saw Cora as a future managerial candidate.

“He’s always been a great brain-picker, so to speak,’’ Showalter said. “He and his brother (Joey, a coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates), both. I talked to them a lot over the years. They have a thirst for knowledge and things to prepare.’’

When he wasn’t observing in-game moves, Cora was working on his inter-personal skills.  A number of managers and coaches recall Cora as an excellent teammate.

In his third season in Boston, Cora got off to a strong start while rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia struggled mightily. While fans and some media members called for Cora to assume the everyday role, Cora instead focused on helping Pedroia get through a difficult stretch.

“Here’s a guy who plays the same position,’’ said Francona, “and Alex is trying to make him better. He wasn’t worried about his own playing time; he was trying to help the team get better.’’

Sometimes, that included clubhouse outreach. When Francona – and everyone else – had difficulty getting through to Manny Ramirez, Cora would serve as a liaison between the coaching staff and the enigmatic slugger.

It would be a pattern that would be repeated at nearly every stop in his playing career.

“For us, he was an extension of the coaching staff,’’ McLaren said of his time in Washington. “I love guys like that. Players might tune out a coach, but (another) player can say something and it means more. He can be difference-maker, and Alex was.’’

In a few months, all of Cora’s past experience will be carried forward as he begins his managerial career. Former coaches, managers and teammates all will be watching with interest, confident in his readiness.

“Alex’s robust and diverse experiences make him especially equipped to tackle the challenges associated with leading a clubhouse,’’ said Kapler, “and building and executing on a game plan even without holding the manager title in the past.’’

After all, he’s been preparing for this job long before he even knew he wanted it.