That he would one day manage in the major leagues was obvious to his Red Sox teammates when Alex Cora played in Boston. Be it on the field or in the dugout, Cora would see details others missed.

“He always watched the game like that. You looked at him on the bench and you could tell he was thinking about things differently than I was,’’ said Josh Beckett, who played three seasons with Cora.

“I’m not saying Alex wasn’t a really talented baseball player. But that was his edge, to play the game out before it happened. When I played with him I thought he would make a really good manager.’’

Cora also helped crack the code of clubhouse chemistry, settling small issues before they became a distraction, although it wasn’t always easy with troublesome Manny Ramirez. Cora had the respect of everyone regardless of age, race, or status in the game.

“Extremely smart,’’ David Ortiz said. “He knew how we rolled.’’

Terry Francona, the Sox manager at the time, pulled ­Cora aside one day and started to give him advice on what to do once he had his own team.

Cora always shunned such talk. He was 32 when the Sox won the World Series in 2007, too young to consider anything but trying to extend his career. His goal was remain productive on the field.

“When you’re a utility guy, you have to pay attention to the game. You really do,’’ Cora said. “A lot of people back in the day used to say that I was going to be a future manager. I used to hate that statement because I wanted to keep playing. . . . It seemed like they were pushing me out of the game.’’

Cora left the Red Sox as a free agent after the 2008 season and played three more years — adding $4.75 million to his career earnings — before retiring as a player.

Only then did he embrace managing as a viable path. In 2014, ­Cora agreed to manage his former team, Caguas, in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He did that for two years before becoming bench coach of the Houston Astros last season.

When that led Cora back to the Red Sox, his former teammates weren’t at all surprised.

“I saw him becoming a manager, 100 percent,’’ said Jon Lester, who was a rookie in 2006. “I didn’t think it would come as quickly as it did, but that’s awesome for him.

“For a lot of us on those teams, you thought Alex or Mike Lowell would manage some day. As a player, he had a lot of the same qualities as a coach. You just knew that when it was the right time, he would get his chance.’’

Cora pursued the Red Sox opening knowing they had the talent in place to make a run at the World Series. They are a team in need of tweaks, not a full-scale rebuild.

Cora’s Astros finished the regular season with four games against the Sox then played them four more games in the Division Series. When the Sox interviewed him, Cora was able to break down the team’s strengths and weaknesses and suggest ways he could improve the team.

“This team is good, that’s the first thing. We’re going to be all right,’’ Cora said. “As a manager, I’m going to be genuine with people and we’re going to do what we’re supposed to do on the field. We’re going to have fun doing it, too.’’

Lester, Ortiz, and Beckett all remember Cora being particularly adept at stealing signs from the opponent. He had the knack — and still does — of being able to decode signals quickly.

“Alex was always really good at dissecting small parts of the game, whether it was a pitcher who was tipping his pitches or a guy that you could steal on,’’ Beckett said.

Last season, Major League Baseball fined the Red Sox for using text messages to relay information on stolen signs from the clubhouse to the dugout. Former manager John Farrell claimed not to know about the scheme. It was an embarrassing moment for the organization.

It wasn’t the reason Farrell got fired, but it spoke to how the Red Sox needed a change in the way the team was run.

Cora plans to bond with the players. Farrell was more autocratic.

“Too close to players? That doesn’t exist,’’ Cora said. “The whole thing about drawing the line, they understand that. But at the same time, they’re human beings, man, and you got to talk to them. You got to see how they feel. I’m going to encourage my coaching staff to get close to players.’’

Lester believes the Sox made the right choice in bringing Cora in.

“Boston is a unique environment. But I saw how he handled it as a player and that’s how he’ll handle it as a manager,’’ said the lefthander, who is now with the Chicago Cubs. “If those guys need a fire lit under them, Alex will do that. Or he’ll be able to talk them through it if that’s the best way.

“Some guys you play with, you see them taking on that job. He was one.’’

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.