| Joe Espada | ||||||||||||||||||
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_(cropped).jpg) Espada with theHouston Astros in 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Astros – No. 19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born: (1975-08-30)August 30, 1975 (age 49) Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial record | 88–73 | |||||||||||||||||
| Winning % | .547 | |||||||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Josue Espada (born August 30, 1975) is a Puerto Rican professionalbaseballcoach and formerMinor League Baseball player. He is themanager of theHouston Astros ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He previously coached in MLB for theMiami Marlins,New York Yankees, and the Astros. In international competition, Espada has coached forPuerto Rico, winning twosilver medals in theWorld Baseball Classic (WBC).
FromSanturce, Puerto Rico, Espada attended theUniversity of Mobile,Alabama, where he playedcollege baseball for the Mobile Rams. He was selected in the second round of the1996 MLB draft by theOakland Athletics, and played in the A's minor league system until 2000. As afree agent the following year, Espada signed with theFlorida Marlins, and subsequently played in four other organizations andindependent baseball, reaching as high asTriple-A with a total of five seasons at that level.
After his playing career, Espada became a coach in the Marlins organization and was promoted to be their major league third base coach from 2010 to 2013. He then joined the Yankees as a special assistant to thegeneral manager in 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, the Yankees named Espada as third base coach. The Astros hired Espada as bench coach after the 2017 season, and promoted him to manager after the 2023 season.
Espada attended theUniversity of Mobile, where he playedcollege baseball for theMobile Rams. He set a Mobile record with a .442batting average.[1] TheOakland Athletics selected Espada in the second round, with the 45th overall selection, of the1996 Major League Baseball draft.[2][3]
TheMinnesota Twins selected Espada from the Athletics in the 1998Rule 5 draft, but he failed to make the Twins'Opening Day roster, and was returned to the Athletics.[4] Espada played in Oakland's system through the 2000 season.[1]
Afree agent in 2001, Espada signed with theFlorida Marlins organization, and was traded to theColorado Rockies organization forJuan Acevedo in August 2001.[5] He later played in the minor leagues for theKansas City Royals,St. Louis Cardinals,Texas Rangers, andTampa Bay Devil Rays organizations.[6] In 2004, Espada played for thePensacola Pelicans in theCentral Baseball League, anindependent baseball league.[1] He retired as a player following the 2005 season, reachingTriple-A, but never playing in the majors.
After retiring, Espada became acoach in the Marlins' organization. He served as the hitting coach of theGreensboro Grasshoppers of theClass ASouth Atlantic League in 2006, and for theJupiter Hammerheads of theClass A-AdvancedFlorida State League in 2007. Espada spent the next two seasons as the Marlins' minor league infield coordinator.[2]
The Marlins named Espada their third base coach prior to the 2010 season. He had coached previously for thePuerto Rican national team during the2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Espada served as the Marlins' third base coach through the 2013 season. After the season, he was reassigned to manage Jupiter, as the Marlins wanted Espada to gain managerial experience.[2] Instead, Espada took a job with theNew York Yankees as a special assistant togeneral managerBrian Cashman.[7]
On January 11, 2015, theYankees hired Espada to be the team's infield coach and third base coach.[8] He managed theGigantes de Carolina of theLiga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in winter baseball.[9] Espada again coached the Puerto Rican team in the2017 WBC.[10]
TheHouston Astros hired Espada after the 2017 season to become their bench coach.[11] He interviewed for theTexas Rangers' managerial position after the 2018 season[12] and for theChicago Cubs' managerial position after the 2019 season.[13]
In2022, the Astros advanced to theWorld Series and defeated thePhiladelphia Phillies in six games to give Espada aWorld Series title.[14]
On 13 November 2023, following the2023 season, Espada was promoted to manage the Astros after the retirement ofDusty Baker, as 25th in franchise history.[15][16] On April 1,2024, Espada's first victory arrived via ano-hit effort fromstarting pitcherRonel Blanco, the 17th such achievement infranchise history. Espada became the first manager in MLB history to earn his first win as a result of a no-hitter.[17]
During Espada's first season as manager, the Astros produced a record of 12 games under .500 at two points in the season, and, on June 18, with a 33–40 record, were 10 games behind for the division lead, the largest margin by which the team had trailed since 2016. A seven-gamewinning streak ensued, and the Astros claimed their 40th win to reach .500 for the first time.[18] On September 13, the Astros secured the 5,000th win in franchise history with a 5–3 victory over theLos Angeles Angels.[19] The Astros clinched theAmerican League (AL) West division title on September 24 with a 4–3 victory over theSeattle Mariners, Espada's first guiding a club as manager, as well as qualifying him for his firstpostseason entrance as manager. Additionally, it was the club's fourth consecutive division title, 14th in franchise history, and ninthpostseason berth in 10 seasons.[18] The Astros faced theDetroit Tigers in the ALWild Card Series in Espada's first postseason experience as manager; however, the Tigers swept the Astros in the best-of-3 series.[20]
As of October 2, 2024
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| HOU | 2024 | 161 | 88 | 73 | .547 | 1st in AL West | 0 | 2 | .000 | LostALWCS (DET) |
| HOU total[21] | 161 | 88 | 73 | .547 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||
He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Espada is married to Pamela Dearth, the sister ofBrandon Hyde's wife.[1] The Espadas live inFulshear, Texas, with their two daughters.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York Yankeesthird base coach 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Houston Astrosbench coach 2018–2023 | Succeeded by |
