In lieu of the team’s loss to the Houston Astros in the playoffs, the Red Sox have hired a new manager to lead the team. Alex Cora, the Astros’ bench coach and a former player for the Red Sox, will be the 47th manager in for the Red Sox. He was hired after manager John Farrell was fired by the organization.

Cora will be the first Latino manager and the first non-white manager in Red Sox history. Despite the fact that he has no experience managing a baseball team, the organization is optimistic. In a statement, owner John W. Henry said, “In Alex we have found a natural leader to guide our clubhouse. He is extremely smart with a dedication to what it takes to be successful in today’s game on the field. His baseball acumen and his ability to think strategically are uncommon for someone his age. We could not have found a better match for our players, our front office and for where we intend to go over the coming years as an organization.”

Cora was part of the Red Sox team that won the 2007 World Series as an infielder. He retired in 2011 and spent four years as an analyst for ESPN, and the Latino ESPN Deportes. He grew up in Puerto Rico and speaks both English and Spanish. Since some players on the team are from Spanish-speaking countries and speak limited English, this will be significant for the team and will help him connect with those players. He has a strong reputation for effective communication with the team. According to the Boston Herald, former manager Farrell’s “hands-off” approach to clubhouse communication caused discontent with the team, and was part of the reason that the team was unhappy with Farrell.

In a  statement, Alex Cora said: “Returning to the Red Sox and the city of Boston is a dream come true for me and my family and I look forward to working towards the ultimate goal of winning another championship for this city and its great fans.” Hopefully, Cora is the manager that the team is hoping for him to be and will lead the Sox to World Series in 2018.