SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —
The two men who shaped Mets infielder Alex Cora
share the same name and the same blood. They are
his father, Jose Manuel Cora, and his older
brother, Jose Manuel Cora.
In Caguas, Puerto Rico, the town where Alex grew up,
the first man was called “Macuco.” In
professional baseball, the second man is called
“Joey.”
Alex Cora’s father indoctrinated him into the
game. “That was my passion,” Alex said.
“That’s all I talked. That’s all I
did.”
His brother, now the bench coach for the Chicago White
Sox, provided a blueprint for Alex with his own
11-season career in the major leagues.
“Obviously,” Joey said, “he can draw
on the experiences that I had to make the right
decisions.”
Neither will be in San Juan tonight as Cora and the
Mets open a three-game series with the Florida Marlins.
But their spirit, their lessons, will be inside of the
34-year-old utility man. As his skills wane — his
batting average dipped to .229 after an 0-for-3
afternoon on Saturday — Cora retains value for
his team on the field and in the clubhouse. The Mets
sport an infield featuring a quartet of 20-somethings.
Cora provides guidance.
Inside the dugout, he often consults with infield coach
Chip Hale to make sure rookies Ike Davis and Ruben
Tejada are positioned properly, reading signals
correctly, holding runners effectively. Sometimes he
sneaks away to the clubhouse video room to rewind the
game tape and check on the kids. There is talk that, in
time, he will follow in his brother’s footsteps
again.
“He’s definitely going to manage in his
future,” Hale said. “He’ll be a
coach. He’ll coach, manage, whatever he wants.
He’s got a wealth of knowledge.”
Those roots were planted in the mountain town of
Caguas. Cora’s father, Jose Manuel, founded the
Little League team there, about 30 minutes away from
San Juan. He traveled the Puerto Rican winter ball
circuit as a broadcaster and writer, cataloging the
exploits of a league which featured stateside stars
like Don Mattingly, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken. Alex
often went with him, crawling the bleachers and napping
in the press box.
“When they talk about us, they’re like
‘Those are Macuco’s kids,’ ”
Cora said. “It’s not Joey. It’s not
Alex. People keep talking about him.”
When Alex was 13, Jose Manuel died. Their father, Alex
remembered, taught Joey how to switch-hit when he was
in his mid-teens. Alex never got the chance. His
career, he insisted last week, “would have been a
lot better if he was around.”
In the aftermath of his father’s death, Alex
followed Joey’s example. Joey, now 45, left
Puerto Rico for Vanderbilt and become a first-round
pick in 1985. Eight years later, when Alex graduated
high school, Detroit drafted him. He declined signing
and enrolled at the University of Miami. The Los
Angeles Dodgers selected him in the third round of the
1996 draft.
Fifteen years later, he is still here. Never an
All-Star, he posted an adjusted OPS score above the
league average just once (a 119 mark for the Dodgers in
2002). Since 2006, he has hit five home runs.
Yet he remains. His true value, Cora said, appears on
winning squads. There, he can subjugate his ego and aid
those around him. He tutored Boston teammate Dustin
Pedroia for much of 2007, a season that culminated in a
World Series victory.
As Alex bounced from Los Angeles to Cleveland to Boston
to Citi Field, Joey climbed the coaching ranks. He
managed minor-league affiliates of the Mets and the
Montreal Expos. In 2004, Joey joined Ozzie
Guillen’s staff in Chicago. He estimates he and
his brother call each other four to five times a week.
Last week, their interests dovetailed. The Mets faced a
pair of A.L. Central teams. The White Sox hosted
Atlanta. They traded scouting reports.
“That’s the way it works,” Joey said.
Sometimes Alex picks his brother’s brain about
life after his playing career ends. Joey hears the talk
about Alex one day becoming a coach. So does Alex. He
believes he can still play. But he knows what lies
ahead.
“I’m learning each day,” Alex Cora
said. “And although my mind is here to win a
championship and help this team to win games, every day
I learn something new. I think that’s going to
help me in the future.”
Andy McCullough may be reached at
amccullough@starledger.com
MANAGEMENT MATERIAL?
A few current and former players of Puerto Rican
descent may be in line for managing positions down the
road:
Edwin Ramirez: Interim manager of Marlins; first Puerto
Rican to ever manage in MLB history; signed by Yankees
in 1980.
Alex Cora: Mets infielder; tutored Dustin Pedroia in
Boston; known to soak in information.
Joey Cora: Older brother of Alex; former All-Star in
Seattle; now Ozzie Guillen’s understudy with
White Sox.
Mike Lowell: Starred at third base for both Marlins and
Red Sox; widely respected within the game.
Jose Molina: Catcher for Blue Jays; personal catcher to
A.J. Burnett in 2009; known for exceptional
game-calling.
(nj.com)