‘I consider him family’: Marlins coach Fredi Gonzalez visits Bobby Cox in hospital
The list of men who most influenced Fredi Gonzalez is about three people long. One is his father. Another is Bobby Cox.
There are plenty of reasons for Cox’s inclusion and probably none is bigger than a meeting the two had in one of the first months of Gonzalez’s first season as an MLB manager.
“Not too many people know this story. I’m not sure if I should tell it,” Gonzalez said, “but I will because of the situation.”
Gonzalez had just taken over as the manager of the then-Florida Marlins in 2007 after spending four seasons as Cox’s third base coach with the Atlanta Braves and Gonzalez was struggling with his new job. The Braves were in town for an early-season series, so Gonzalez asked to meet with his mentor. On the way to the stadium in Miami Gardens, Gonzalez picked up Cox and they went to get coffee.
“I’m experiencing dealing with the general manager, I’m experiencing dealing with the owner, I’m experiencing meeting with the press — the whole thing,” said Gonzalez, who is now the Miami Marlins’ third base coach. “I told him, ‘Skip, I don’t know if I can do this. This is hard, managing a Major League team in the first month and a half of my Major League career,’”
“He called me everything but a Major League manager. I can’t use the phrases he used, but he ripped me a new one.”
It was quintessential Cox. Among his many accolades from his 25 seasons managing the Braves are his record 158 ejections, which stand up as part of his legacy just as much as his 2,504 wins and World Series championship.
Earlier this, the baseball world experienced an outpouring of support of the Hall of Famer after Cox was hospitalized after a stroke. Gonzalez is one of the countless players across the Majors influenced by Cox and ahead of the Marlins’ game against Atlanta at on Friday he was able to visit Cox in the hospital.
“It’s more than just a friendship, really,” Gonzalez said. “I consider him family.”
Gonzalez wasn’t the only Marlin to liken Cox to a family member. Third baseman Martin Prado played his first seven seasons with the Braves, including five when Cox was manager.
Prado said he was intimidated by Cox and wouldn’t even talk to the manager for his first few seasons, but in Cox’s final season as manager in 2010, Prado was named an All-Star for the only time in his career. The accolade only came because Cox committed to Prado as his full-time second baseman.
Although Prado didn’t get over to the hospital before the Marlins (2-5) opened their three-game series at 7:20 p.m. in Atlanta, he plans to visit Cox on Saturday before Miami plays the Braves (3-3) again at SunTrust Park.
“He was one of those people that truly believed I could play at this level, and he had that trust in me and that belief,” Prado said. “I just kind of looked at him like my second dad and just seeing him like that is going to be a little rough for me, but it’s something I need to do.”
Gonzalez’s relationship with Cox, however, goes beyond just their time together with the Braves. Gonzalez first met Cox during his first stint as the Marlins’ third base coach in the early 2000s. Cox would smoke a cigar in the dugout before games and chat with anyone who came over, so Gonzalez went to introduce himself. When he lost his job with Florida in 2001, Gonzalez joined Cox’s organization as the manager for Triple A Richmond for a season before Cox brought him on as Atlanta’s third base coach.
They used to live within a couple miles of each other in Marietta, Georgia, and Cox would often tag along with Gonzalez to watch Gonzalez’s son play Little League baseball or high school football.
Now Gonzalez is wishing for Cox’s good health. At least he can be sure Cox will fight. Everyone is sure of that.
“He’s got a long haul in rehab. He’s going to be tough,” Gonzalez said. “I said, ‘Hey, you’ve touched a lot of people in the world. Do this rehab and get back out there again.’”
Here are the lineups for Friday at SunTrust:
Miami Marlins
Curtis Granderson, LF
Brian Anderson, 3B
Neil Walker, 1B
Starlin Castro, 2B
Jorge Alfaro, C
JT Riddle, SS
Lewis Brinson, CF
Peter O’Brien, RF
Pablo Lopez, SP
Atlanta Braves
Ender Inciarte, CF
Josh Donaldson, 3B
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Ronald Acuna Jr., LF
Nick Markakis, RF
Ozzie Albies, 2B
Tyler Flowers, C
Dansby Swanson, SS
Kevin Gausman, SP