Quick hits from Alex Cora's press conference: On pitching, defense, infield shifts and baserunning

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Six highlights from Alex Cora’s daily media availability on Thursday.

1. Cora acknowledged that evaluating pitching might be the most difficult part of his new job.

“For me, yes,’’ he said. “We’ve got some good people around. That’s always good because to talk that part of the game is very important. I learned a lot last year (from Houston pitching coach Brent Strom), but to learn this staff and talk to people is huge for me.’’

Learning when to lift a pitcher, or when to leave him in the game, will be one of the steepest learning curves for a new manager.

“The timing of it ... you win or lose games sometimes with that decision,’’ Cora said. “Sometimes, you take them out too early and you pay the price. Sometimes you take them out too late and you pay the price, too. I think that’s the hardest thing. That’s not a secret, but it’s going to be one of the challenges.’’

2. Cora spoke about the left side of the infield and some defensive improvements that can be made for third baseman Rafael Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

“The whole thing with Rafael, watching him and studying him last year, was the speed of the game,’’ Cora said. “His errors were more like routine plays, where he had time and he has such a great arm that sometimes, he got lazy and threw the ball away.

“The talent is there. I played with a third baseman (in Los Angeles) and he’s going to be a Hall of Famer ... Adrian Beltre made 30 errors in his rookie season. And we feel like he’s one of the greatest to ever play the position," he added. "I’m not saying Rafael Devers is Adrian Beltre. But the way he moves his feet, his arm … he’s good. You’re going to have ups and downs. But we’re going to get him into a routine and we’re going to put him in spots where we feel the balls going to be hit.’’

Cora believes that Bogaerts needs some work on his angles at short and positioning himself to handle in-between hops.

“We’re going to try to clean that up,’’ he said. “But he’s still a good infielder.’’

3. Cora is a big believer in infield shifting.

“We will shift more,’’ he vowed. “I think when you get together with the analytics department, and those guys, they’re good. It’s not only about the hitter, but the pitcher, the hitter and who’s playing defense. We’ll adjust from that and make decisions from that. We’ve got to get 27 outs. And we’re not only talking about shifting in the infield, but with the outfield we have, we can get creative, too, and maximize their talents. So, look for that, too.’’

4. Cora is still undecided on some batting order decisions, but it’s clear that, virtually every day, Mookie Betts will hit leadoff and Andrew Benintendi will bat second. “Out of the all the lineups that I made (over the winter),’’ said Cora, “there was something very consistent (with) the top two spots: Betts, Benintendi. Betts, Benintendi. Regardless of who we are and what we do throughout the spring, the decisions we make, you’re going to see those two guys, if they’re healthy, on (Opening Day).''

5. Cora hinted that while he favors an aggressive approach to baserunning, the Red Sox won’t be as reckless as they were last season, when they made the most outs on the basepaths in the American League. “One thing for sure – we have to be better on the basepaths,’’ Cora said. “Where we’re at now, it’s very important to value every out. On the bases, we have to be smart. It’s not ‘be aggressive to be aggressive.’ You have to be responsible running the bases, with leads, jumps, secondary leads, knowing the scouting reports, and make good decisions.’’

6. Cora continues to stress the importance of a more aggressive approach at the plate.

“We can’t have bad takes,’’ he said. “If you’re a good fastball hitter and you take a good fastball right down the middle, that’s a bad take. Don’t just take pitches to take pitches. I know the game will dictate what you do, but there’s nothing wrong with going to hunt the first pitch that you can drive and put a good swing on it.’’