Alex Cora doesn’t anticipate the Boston Red Sox suffering a leadership void in 2026.
Alex Bregman quickly assumed a prominent clubhouse role when joining the team last season, but the All-Star third baseman will take that veteran savvy to the Chicago Cubs. Cora expects two of his key players to step up.
The Red Sox manager didn’t hesitate when asked about his clubhouse leaders on Friday’s “Foul Territory.”
“(Garrett) Crochet and Trevor Story,” Cora instantly responded. “Those two.”
Injuries limited Story’s availability throughout his first three seasons in Boston, but the shortstop logged 654 plate appearances last year. Cora credited the 33-year-old with leading by example.
“What Trevor did last year — he played (157) games, right? That says a lot, Cora declared. “The way he goes about it, he’s not a vocal leader. He’s not going to get in people’s faces, but he will show up and prepare, and he’s gonna play hard.”
Meanwhile, Cora didn’t need to slowplay Crochet’s first full season in the rotation. The left-hander worked an American League-high 205 1/3 innings before tossing 7 2/3 dominant frames in a playoff win over the New York Yankees.
Cora likened his ace to three legendary workhorse pitchers and World Series champions.
“Having Crochet every five days, that’s a leader right there,” Cora said. “He’s like Randy Johnson back in the day. Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez. Every five days, you know you’re gonna have that guy that either, he’s going to extend the winning streak or stop the losing streak. And that’s a luxury that we have.”
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