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Alex Cora is all about making connections

Alex Cora (left) shared a light moment with Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel during the ALCS.bob levey/Getty

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The Red Sox and Houston Astros worked out at Minute Maid Park on Oct. 4, the day before their American League Division Series started. The Astros had the field first, then the Sox.

As the Astros finished batting practice, bench coach Alex Cora came over to the visiting dugout. He shook hands with Sox president Sam Kennedy, hugged Dustin Pedroia, and had a quick conversation in Spanish with Christian Vazquez.

It was 90 seconds, maybe. But Cora interacted with a dozen or so people on that side of the field — players, coaches, staff members, and others.

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This was a week before the Red Sox fired John Farrell, so Cora was not campaigning for the manager’s job. He was simply reconnecting with friends who would be foes in that series.

It was a window into Cora’s personality and perhaps what kind of manager he will be with the Red Sox.

A quick grin and a slap on the back doesn’t mean anything, otherwise Bobby Valentine would have lasted more than 10 months. But as a player, broadcaster, and coach, Cora has shown an ability to connect with a wide spectrum of people across baseball.

“He’s got a great baseball mind,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “He was a heck of a teammate; he was one of those guys that was always trying to learn the game and talk the game. You could see he was going to be a manager at some point in time.”

Roberts won a championship with the Red Sox in 2004, Cora in 2007. Roberts followed a more traditional path to managing, working as a coach with the Padres for five years before the Dodgers hired him as manager prior to the 2016 season.

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Cora was with ESPN for three seasons and the Astros for one. Roberts was 43 when the Dodgers hired him, Cora is 42.

“As a former Red Sox player, I think it’s a great fit,” Roberts said. “He’s very connected to the players and the game and all the things that go with being a manager. It’s going to be a new challenge for him, but I think he’s as prepared as anyone.”

The Red Sox return the bulk of a team that won 93 games and its division this season. They will have a powerful team in 2018 even if the only improvements come from within.

But they were an oddly joyless bunch.

Mookie Betts, who finished second in the 2016 MVP voting, said from the start of spring training that he couldn’t be expected to repeat that level of success. Sure enough, he did not.

Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts beat themselves up when slumping. Hanley Ramirez, a positive force in spring training, became more withdrawn as the season progressed, and he didn’t play well.

Pitchers Rick Porcello, David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez, and even Craig Kimbrel went about their business with a dour reserve.

That the Sox would have a different tone without David Ortiz around was certain. But the difference was startling at times, and Farrell, to a degree, was held accountable for that.

In the press release to announce Cora’s hiring, principal owner John Henry was quoted as saying, “In Alex we have found a natural leader to guide our clubhouse.” That was telling.

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That this is a new direction for the Red Sox is evident in many ways. Cora has an active Twitter account with nearly 24,000 followers. That includes 15 current or former Sox players, five front office staffers, and even a few minor league prospects.

On Instagram, Cora posted photos of Astros players celebrating when they won the pennant. His way of connecting to players may take a different form than Terry Francona, Torey Lovullo, or Joe Maddon, but it’s a connection all the same.

Before the Division Series, Houston shortstop Carlos Correa was asked about Cora’s influence on the Astros.

“It’s a long season, you know?” he said. “Alex is one of those guys who makes it easier on us. He’s always checking how you’re doing. He’s fun to be around.”


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.