Alex Cora Reveals His Letter Grade For Red Sox Defense In 2025
The Boston Red Sox had two Gold Glove-winning outfielders in 2025 with Ceddanne Rafaela manning center field and Wilyer Abreu in right. There’s not a lot to complain about defensively with these two, but how good was Boston’s defense overall this past season?
Red Sox manager shared his answer to that question while appearing as a guest on Foul Territory on Wednesday. He even gave a letter grade for Boston’s defensive performance throughout the entire campaign.
Beyond suggesting that his squad needs to improve defensively (“C+ … so, we have to improve), Cora said that Rafaela should have won the American League Platinum Glove (it went to Bobby Witt Jr.) and pointed out that Boston’s outfield and catching metrics (particularly those of Carlos Narváez) were excellent.
For those wondering, the Platinum Glove is chosen from the field of Gold Glove winners based on fan voting and the SABR Defensive Index. The Red Sox have never had a Platinum Glove winner (the award debuted in 2011).
Rafaela and Abreu are definitely candidates to win a Platinum Glove in the years to come, especially given how young each player is. Abreu, 26, has now bagged a Gold Glove in each of his first two MLB seasons. This past season was the first time Rafaela played in center field regularly (129 starts, 141 total appearances). He made 82 starts in center in 2024 and 11 starts there the year prior, his rookie season. Rafaela turned 25 in September.
In 2026, Cora will enter his sixth-consecutive season at the helm of the Red Sox (and eighth overall). The 2018 World Series-winning manager sounds like a man ready to return to the Fall Classic.