Alex Cora Reveals Red Sox's Under-the-Radar Leader

Clubhouse leadership has become a hot-button topic with the Boston Red Sox over the last few seasons, and it's largely because there's been no consistency.

Alex Bregman's leadership was one of the themes of the Red Sox's relatively successful season last year, and Bregman is gone now. Rob Refsnyder was hailed for his leadership as well, so both of those two being gone from the equation leaves a vacuum of sorts.

As Red Sox fans wonder how their favorite team will mesh in another season with high expectations, it might be heartening to know that manager Alex Cora sees one of the team's newcomers playing an outsized role in the clubhouse.

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Cora talks Willson Contreras' clubhouse presence

Willson Contreras might be something of a surprise leadership candidate to some Red Sox fans, but on Saturday, Cora named several reasons he believed the 33-year-old could step up for his new team after arriving in a December trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

“He’s intense,” Cora said, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “With him, when you play against him, you don’t like him; when he plays for you, you do because he’s so intense. It might come off the wrong way, but just talking to him, he just wants to win; there’s intention behind everything he does.

"There’s a lot of Venezuelans in the squad, so I expect him to be the leader of that group,” Cora added. “Perfect English, which is awesome, he can navigate that clubhouse. He’s been there, done that, won a World Series and became one of the best players in the big leagues, and to have him here is going to be very important in that clubhouse.”

Contreras wasn't the only high-profile Venezuelan newcomer, as starting pitcher Ranger Suárez joined him in Boston on a five-year contract in January. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu and catcher Carlos Narváez are the most notable Venezuelan-born returners.

Throughout his career, Contreras has often been portrayed as fiery and even mercurial, but the Red Sox seem to be embracing those aspects of his on-field persona. He's also the only newcomer with a World Series ring.