ATLANTA -- The relationship Marlins third base coach Fredi Gonzalez has with Bobby Cox is like family.

“We've maintained a very close friendship, bond,” Gonzalez said Friday afternoon before the Marlins opened their weekend series against the Braves at SunTrust Park. “It's more than a close friendship. I consider him family.”

Cox, the iconic former Braves manager and Hall of Famer, is recovering at a local Atlanta-area hospital from an apparent stroke. On the Marlins' off-day Thursday, Gonzalez visited Cox and his family, and he plans on seeing his former boss and long-time mentor again on Saturday.

Marlins infielder Martin Prado, who broke in with the Braves and was with the organization from 2006-12, also intends to visit his former skipper before the series ends.

“This guy taught me how to respect the game, how to play the game right,” Prado said. “Who I am right now is because of Bobby.”

Gonzalez’s association with Cox came during his first tenure on the Marlins’ staff, as third base coach beginning in 1999.

When the Marlins faced the Braves, Gonzalez started interacting with Cox because he was so accessible before games.

“The only time I knew Bobby then was when he was sitting in the dugout smoking a cigar,” Gonzalez said.

A few years later, Gonzalez would be in the Braves’ system, managing the Triple-A Richmond Braves in 2002. The following year, he became the third base coach on Cox’s staff.

“Everybody knows all the accolades,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody knows the records, the division [titles]. He's a Hall of Famer, and all that. People don't realize what a good person this guy is. He would talk with the groundskeepers. He will take time out and talk to people, and cultivate a relationship.

“I would come in and needed him for something. I couldn't find him, and in old Shea Stadium, we'd go down to the bullpen and he was holding court with the whole grounds crew. People don't realize how big a heart he has, and what a great person he is.”

Gonzalez managed the Marlins from 2007 until part of '10 before he was dismissed. When Cox retired after the '10 season, Gonzalez replaced his mentor and managed Atlanta from '11-'16.

“I'd say there are three men in my life that have impacted me,” Gonzalez said. “My father, Bobby and Carlos Tosca.”

Tosca was Gonzalez’s former bench coach with the Marlins and Braves.

“When I was managing here, it was every day,” Gonzalez said of interacting with Cox. “He'd come in, and you could almost set your watch by it. Every day.”

Even with Gonzalez on the Marlins’ staff, Cox occasionally will send a message -- especially if he sees a certain play that catches his eye.

“If there's a play or something he'd see on a highlight, he'd say, 'Nice send!' “ Gonzalez said.

In November, a team of MLB stars faced Japanese stars in Japan. Marlins manager Don Mattingly managed the club and selected Gonzalez as his third base coach.

“Bobby saw every game we played in Japan,” Gonzalez said.

Prado credits Cox for his development, going from being a utility player to a regular.

“I think he saw something different in me,” Prado said. “He truly believed in me. In the middle of 2009, he came up to me and said, 'Hey, I think you can play every day. You're a pretty good player. I'm going to just play you every day at second base.'”

Prado ran with the opportunity, not wanting to let Cox down.

“Every single person around him who didn't believe I was an everyday player, I had to prove them wrong,” Prado said. “He was one of the few people who believed in me.

“Bobby is somebody there who reminded you there is nobody bigger than baseball. He was that guy. He's still that guy.”