​DETROIT — In the middle of his third season with the Detroit Tigers, third base coach Joey Cora departed the organization after what manager A.J. Hinch described as “philosophical differences.” Hinch acknowledged the news would come as a surprise to many. “I love Joey. Joey loved being a Tiger. He’s been instrumental in his time here,” Hinch said. “But like a family, sometimes it doesn’t last forever. We both agreed it’s probably best for the players and everyone involved to part ways.”
Cora, a Puerto Rico native and older brother to former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was let go earlier this season, spent more than a decade as a major league middle infielder. With Cora’s exit, Billy Boyer, a first-year member of Hinch’s staff, will shift from his role handling “quality control” to the third base coach position for the remainder of the season, the Tigers announced ahead of their game against the Oakland Athletics.
Cora has built a long résumé as a base coach, spending five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and two with the New York Mets. In that time, he gained a reputation for testing opposing infields by aggressively signaling runners to push for third or to attempt scoring on balls in play.
Tigers catcher Jake Rogers told mlb.com he learned of the move via text while the team was idle. “I can’t speak for the others, but it hit me pretty hard,” Rogers said.
Hinch emphasized that the decision was based solely on baseball considerations, not any personal issues or off-field matters. “I thanked him profusely,” Hinch noted. “He’s been highly impactful in changing our aggressiveness, our intensity, and our toughness. That said, those traits come with some risk.” He added, “I don’t want to dive into specifics, because there are years of discussion behind the scenes that I’d have to unpack with our staff. At the end of the day, it’s two baseball guys talking about what’s best, and as the manager, I own it.”
Boyer, 42, is embarking on his first season on a major league staff after coaching in the minors with the Minnesota Twins and the Tigers. Hinch acknowledged Boyer’s relative inexperience compared to Cora but expressed strong confidence in his abilities. “He clearly doesn’t have the same experience Joey had,” Hinch said, “but I have a ton of confidence in him.” He also made clear that the Tigers do not anticipate reducing their aggression on the bases.
“The style of play is ingrained in what we do. It’s part of our DNA in this ballpark,” Hinch affirmed. “Maintaining aggressiveness represents a huge competitive advantage. Our style of play isn’t going to change, and our mindset isn’t going to change.”