Red Sox first base coach Ramon Vazquez is getting a new assignment, as reporter Edwin Hernandez Jr. tweets that Vazquez will take over from Will Venable as Boston’s new bench coach. Venable joined the Rangers earlier this month to take an associate manager role under Bruce Bochy.
The 46-year-old Vazquez has been a member of Boston’s coaching staff since 2018, first working as a statistical analysis coordinator and then moving into a role as a quality control coach. Vazquez saw some fill-in work as the first base coach in 2021 before taking over the job entirely for the 2022 season.
Before joining the Red Sox, Vazquez worked as a coach on the Padres’ staff in 2017, and previously as a coach in the Astros’ farm system. Fans may remember Vazquez from his lengthy and well-traveled playing career, as he suited up for six different MLB teams (including the Red Sox) from 2001-09. In an interesting tidbit, Vazquez and Alex Cora were actually traded for each other back in July 2005, with Vazquez going to Cleveland and Cora going to the Red Sox — this started Cora’s history in Boston, which has continued into his current role as the team’s manager.
Good.
hayzee – Speaking of Goody, I wonder if he will return to the first base coach position … assuming vaccines will no longer be mandatory for coaching staffs?
Well they satisfied Cora again; will they satisfy the fan base this off season.
Nothing will satisfy fans, last people any team should listen to is the fans.
Bure – Red Sox fans were quite satisfied in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018.
Do you think they won those because they listened to the fans?
Rhyde – That’s an odd question that has nothing to do with fan satisfaction.
Who are “they” anyway? The players? The ownership?
The ultimate goal for every professional sports team is to win a championship, therefore satisfying both fans and players involves winning a championship.
I can’t think of any team or fanbase that went into a World Series saying “I don’t mind if we lose”.
A Championship would satisfy. For some a level of competitiveness would satisfy. Two out of three years in the basement of the AL east doesn’t seem to fit well with most but apparently mediocrity has fulfilled some fans’ expectations I see.
shortstop – Those who accept the last place finishes are casual fans at best. They don’t attend games, they don’t pay a fortune to get NESN, and they don’t spend on merchandise.
So they aren’t embarrassed when the Sox have one of the highest payrolls in MLB and don’t even make the postseason, let alone finish dead last. There’s no emotional investment, just pure apathy.
Satisfied Cora?!! Well I should hope so! Why the hell would any team not allow their manager to have his pick for bench coach?
You’ve missed the point, but ok.
Well then enlighten me, what was the point?
Nice request. I’m waiting to see how he explains it.
You’re more optimistic than I am. I’m betting I get no response at all.
Surprised it was him over Varitek
I didn’t even know Varitek was coaching
Vazquez probably isn’t a threat to Cora, Varitek might be.
I wonder if this is the first time on any coaching staff that the bench coach was once traded for the Manager during their playing days…
Rsox – That’s precisely what I was thinking. If Venable was still the bench coach, he could conceivably replace Cora midseason. There’s very little chance of Vazquez replacing Cora midseason.
I agree, but slightly differently. My guess is that, if anything goes wrong, they won’t want Varitek tainted by it. If he isn’t on the bench, they can fire everyone in a clean sweep.
Varitek is not diverse
baseballteam, Friendo, could you elaborate a smidge?
No
I didn’t think so…You probably got a bit carried away/ahead of yourself throwing around the word “diverse” like that. Varitek is a good guy. Be a fan amigo!
baseballteam, You are one of those AI chatbots right? (Hint: AI chatbots say NO)!!
So, if someone’s view is different than yours, its an AI chatbot? Wtf. Let me guess from Russia right?
Are we living in ‘The Village’. ‘That of which, we don’t speak of.’
Diversity hirings happen all the time in corporate America. It called “DEI”. Hirings are monitored by watchgroups and reported on by an “ESG” rating. If you don’t keep your ESG rating up, major investment groups will pull funding.
Stating facts, shouldn’t be dangerous. America used to be about ‘Free Speech’. Now, its about relaying ‘The Message’, and silencing those who dont.
If you don’t keep your ESG rating up, major investment groups will pull funding.
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That won’t matter, unless you are a startup. A company’s stock price is the PV of future earnings, adjusted for risk. I doubt most investors pay a lot of attention to your diversity. It’s a worthwhile goal, but I pretty much don’t remember a company going bankrupt and getting funding because they maintain a diverse work force.
Will Venable the assistant to the assistant to the regional (current) manager.
The office, Texas Rangers style 2023
Dunning-Miller…
Interesting… I wanted to see more of Venable tbh
Maybe Bloom could get around to making some REAL additions to the roster rather than just digging around in the bargain bins
He was fine where he was. Undeserved promotion
Must be a slow day for bench coach news