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Tom Verducci, senior writer, baseball writer for Sports Illustrated.

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He's got an Alex Cora profile. Baseball writer for Sports Illustrated. He joins us on the Volkswagen Dealer's expert hotline.

He's got an Alex Cora profile in the newest MLB Network documentary, Alex Cora,

The Making of a Champion that premieres tomorrow night at 9, featuring an in-depth interview with Cora by our own Tom Verducci. Mr. Verducci. Thank you for joining us, sir. Hey, thanks for having me. All right. Do you think Alex Cora, because I was reading this in the Boston Globe, and they had him listed as the best manager in baseball, you can't argue with his results from last year, but do you agree with that sentiment? I think he's on the short list. I'm not sure if I definitively say he's number one.

I like AJ Hinch a lot. I like Joe Madden a lot. But let me put it to you this way.

He has now redefined what the template is for what teams want in a manager.

And that's pretty high praise for a guy at the job for one year. And by that, I mean, you know, he knows analytics inside and out, right? You're not looking for a guy who has to learn it as a second language. Somebody who's flown in it. He's got that. The communication with the players is where I think it really sets him apart from everybody else. Everybody now wants younger managers because the game is going younger, the players are younger. You better have someone who connects with them who speaks their language without someone who's trying to force it. It sounds like he's trying to force it. And he doesn't. It comes naturally. It's authentic. So I think he's a bridge builder. I really do. I think for a lot of years there in Boston, you had David Ortiz's strongest personality, you know, Francona in his own way as a manager. But in that little gap there, they were looking for that mortar, if you will, to bring a team together. Alex, as the manager, is that guy. I think his influences that big in the office and in the clubhouse.

So does that mean guys like John Farrell are a dying breed that they're just not going to get hired anymore?

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