Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora held a morning baseball clinic for a small army of youngsters in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, last month. Under the rising sun, Cora hoisted a microphone and introduced some friends from the big leagues helping him out, like Alex Cintron, who played nine years in the majors and is now a coach with the Astros.
As Cora spoke, it sounded like he was building to some kind of crescendo -- which was all by design. The last guest instructor to be introduced was Rafael Devers, Boston's 22-year-old third baseman, who had made the journey from the Dominican Republic to join Cora, and as Cora spoke to the crowd of kids and parents, he showered Devers with praise and plaudits.