Edes: Raquel Ferreira, earning her respect in Red Sox front office

From SABR member Gordon Edes at Medium.com on May 16, 2017:

Do not be misled by the fact that Mookie Betts is so fond of Raquel Ferreira that he calls her “Mama Bear.” Or that he is hardly alone, among Red Sox players who came up through the team’s minor-league system, in his affection for her.

“She comes up to you and talks to you from the bottom of her heart,’’ says Hanley Ramirez, who has known Ferreira for the better part of 15 years, longer than anyone else on the team. “She talks to you like a little brother, a son.’’

Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Dustin Pedroia, so many others regard her as a confidant, a friend, a person to turn to, especially when they’re dealing with the rough patches of being a professional ballplayer, the ones that occur both on and off the field.

“She can see on my face whenever I’m having a tough time,’’ said Bogaerts, who found in Ferreira a comforting presence when his grandmother died recently. “She is guaranteed, 100 percent, a go-to lady.’’

But before you get too warm and fuzzy, remember this: Bears have teeth, too. They are strong and resourceful. They are survivors, in the most challenging environments. Raquel Ferreira, one of only three women ever to ascend to the level of vice president in a Major League Baseball operations department, is all of these things, too.

Read the full article here: https://medium.com/@gedes/raquel-ferreira-earning-her-respect-d9f663e4dcbc



Originally published: May 16, 2017. Last Updated: May 16, 2017.