For the first since 2012, Terry Francona spent the entire year out of a big-league dugout.
Given his already lofty resume — which includes two World Series titles with the Red Sox — Francona had little left to prove.
“I had a really good year, and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do this coming year, but I really wasn’t thinking about managing,” Francona admitted last week ahead of “The Tradition” awards ceremony at TD Garden.
But after stepping away from the game following 11 seasons in Cleveland, Francona ended his one-year sabbatical this fall by signing on as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.