Alex Cora Fascination

by James Kannengieser on Nov 4, 2009 12:30 PM EST

Maybe people are sick of reading about the intangibles topic but it is one that continues to fascinate. Adam Rubin's late season report that Alex Cora will likely be re-signed and subsequent fan support for bringing back Cora is the latest source of this fascination.

Cora is now 34 years old, coming off a replacement level season in which he earned $2 million. Smart organizations would bid such a player a fond farewell -- thank you for the grit and leadership Alex, but we are moving in another direction. The most common argument in favor of a Cora return is his impact in the clubhouse. His off-the-field guidance for younger players is allegedly valuable enough to justify a spot on the roster. My question is, why can't good players bring these intangibles? Better yet, how about the members of the Mets' coaching staff provide guidance to younger players who need it? The coaching staff is filled with former players, many with playoff experience and even World Series rings. Presumably, they encountered similar on and off the field issues during their playing careers as players do today. Surely they can give advice on family life, conditioning, playing through pain or whatever other questions the players have.

Wise organizations don't pay for intangibles, they pay for on-field production. Cora's intangible qualities are almost universally praised so I feel confident in saying he has some positive value in the clubhouse, even if it is very small. That's terrific and I'd love it if all players had Cora's personality. However, if he had some value on the field that would be significantly more important. I'll close with some words I enjoyed from Matt Meyers, an ESPN The Magazine editor, who e-mailed the following to Matt Cerrone at Metsblog yesterday:

You’ll notice the Royals and Pirates have been two of the biggest spenders in the last couple of years, giving seven-figure bonuses to kids in rounds three through 10. Instead, the Mets will stick to slot in those rounds and spend $2 million on Alex Cora. It’s a joke, and shows a complete lack of understanding of value on the part of the Mets.

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The only fascination I have with Alex Cora

Is the fascination with the prospect of talking about him exclusively in the past tense.

"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet

What a fool I was to defy him"

-HST

by Mark Himmelstein on Nov 4, 2009 1:10 PM EST reply actions

Yeah, if it all so important, why not just make him a coach.

Then gimme someone 10 years younger who will make $400,000.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Nov 4, 2009 1:31 PM EST reply actions

Yes

My thoughts exactly

by deadspy3 on Nov 4, 2009 1:40 PM EST up reply actions

paying suggested slot prices in the draft is a joke

what penalties to you incur as an organization? the frowning disapproval of bud selig? would omar rather be one of bud’s “guys” to the detriment of the team?

its beyond a joke, its irresponsible. maybe its wilpon’s decision, i dont know, but the number one responsibility of the entire front office is to put together a team of players with the best possible chance to win a WS. they are failing in this aspect by under paying in the draft and letting higher talent players fall to teams that are willing to pay. its not about risk and money. if it was you wouldnt be handing out contracts like pedro’s and castillo’s.

how the owners are failing to grasp this simple concepts of market efficiencies is beyond me, considering they started as rich businessmen and THEN became baseball owners. but whatever, at least its not dan snyder in charge.

Lets hope that when gut check time comes again the Mets will pass it with flying colors.

by kendynamo on Nov 4, 2009 1:40 PM EST reply actions

I can only imagine his value in the clubhouse is something the coaching staff can't do.

Alex Cora teaches younger players how to play Guitar Hero, like this song. ~~Rookies feel relaxed and then don’t feel the pressure of playing in NY.~~ Downside is, they don’t sleep as much and perform poorly the next game.
Alex Cora teaches younger players how to pick up women, how to recognize the ones only interested in your money and which ones should you marry. He also drafts pre-nups.
Alex Cora teaches younger players how to avoid the IRS, buy used cars and make omelette.
Alex Cora teaches younger players how to join the most exclusive parties, night clubs, restricted poker games or La Table Elitaire.
Alex Cora teaches younger players how to discover the secrets of the spiritual life, of the afterlife and of the 37 endings of Chrono Trigger.

For baseball related advice, Alex Cora tell younger players to ask David Wright.

by Michkin on Nov 4, 2009 2:09 PM EST reply actions

Chrono Trigger only has 12 endings

Just sayin’.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 4, 2009 2:33 PM EST up reply actions

Only if you haven't met Alex Cora.

by Michkin on Nov 4, 2009 2:43 PM EST up reply actions

Hmm...This intrigues me. I must make an appointment to meet him then.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 4, 2009 3:18 PM EST up reply actions

I give credit where credit is due

Alex Cora factored into our equations a lot more last season than anyone would have guessed. He didn’t suck up the place, per se, but he is a back-up replacement player, after all. He hurt his thumbs, but continued to play for a while, lest we turn to a replacement back-up player. So, I respect him for all that. That said, that was last year, and next year is going to be next year. Re-signing him is relatively cheap, but when you want to pinch pennies, $2 million dollars +/- is a lot to be spent on a back-up bench player. For a fraction of the cost, we could have Anderson Hernandez out there as a back-up second base/short stop infielder, or Wilson Valdez- options that might not necessarily be “as good” as Cora, but, at the end of the day, they are all back-up bench players.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 4, 2009 2:38 PM EST reply actions

Yeah, Cora really stepped up for the Mets last season

He could have gone on the DL so the Mets could play a player with some value (Wilson Valdez), but he made sure no broken thumb would keep his grit and leadership from making the Mets worse.

by boom_roasted on Nov 5, 2009 12:45 PM EST up reply actions

The one time I ever watched SNY in a non-mets game situation

I watched “Mets Weekly,” or whatever the program is called, and started laughing when whoever the host started pressing Cora about what a great influence Cora was on the clubhouse and Cora just said, “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to contribute on the field.” or something similar. He also talked about how much Pedroia hated him in Boston at first.

by Sam Page on Nov 4, 2009 3:28 PM EST reply actions