Jump to content

Joe Espada

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by TizonayBabieca (talk | contribs) at 20:51, 6 November 2022. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Joe Espada
Espada with the New York Yankees
Houston Astros – No. 19
Coach
Born: (1975-08-30) August 30, 1975 (age 49)
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Teams
As coach
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Puerto Rico
World Baseball Classic
Silver medal – second place 2013 San Francisco Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Los Angeles Team

Josue Espada (born August 30, 1975) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball coach and former minor league player who is the current bench coach of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Espada was the third base coach for the Miami Marlins. He then joined the New York Yankees as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Cashman in 2014.[1] Prior to the 2015 season, Espada was named the Yankees' third base coach. The Astros hired Espada after the 2017 season.

Playing career

Espada attended the University of Mobile, where he played college baseball for the Mobile Rams. He set a Mobile record with a .442 batting average.[2] The Oakland Athletics selected Espada in the second round, with the 45th overall selection, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft.[3][4]

The Minnesota Twins selected Espada from the Athletics in the 1998 Rule 5 draft, but he failed to make the Twins' Opening Day roster and was returned to the Athletics.[5] Espada played in Oakland's system through the 2000 season.[2]

A free agent in 2001, Espada signed with the Florida Marlins, and was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Juan Acevedo in August 2001.[6] He later played for the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays organizations.[citation needed] In 2004, Espada played for the Pensacola Pelicans in the Central Baseball League, an independent baseball league.[2] He retired after the 2005 season, reaching Triple-A, but never playing in the majors.

Coaching career

After retiring, Espada became a coach in the Marlins' organization. He served as the hitting coach of the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2006 and for the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in 2007. Espada spent the next two seasons as the Marlins' minor league infield coordinator.[3]

Espada with the Florida Marlins in 2011

The Marlins named Espada as their third base coach prior to the 2010 season. He also coached for the Puerto Rican national baseball team during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. 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.[3] Instead, Espada took a job with the New York Yankees as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Cashman.[1]

On January 11, 2015, the Yankees hired Espada to be the team's new infield coach and third base coach.[7] He manages the Gigantes de Carolina of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in winter baseball.[8] Espada again coached the Puerto Rican team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[9]

The Houston Astros hired Espada after the 2017 season to become their bench coach.[10] He interviewed for the Texas Rangers' managerial position after the 2018 season[11] and for the Chicago Cubs' managerial position after the 2019 season.[12]

In 2022, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give Espada his first career World Series title.[13]

Personal life

Espada is married to Pamela Dearth, the sister of Brandon Hyde's wife.[2] The Espadas live in Fulshear, Texas, with their two daughters.

References

  1. ^ a b Rodriguez, Juan C. (November 5, 2013). "Miami Marlins: Yankees hire third-base coach Joe Espada as special assistant". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "Steeped in Astros' and Yankees' Ways, Joe Espada Is a Hot Commodity - The New York Times". The New York Times. October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Rodriguez, Juan C. (September 22, 2013). "Miami Marlins reassign third-base coach Joe Espada". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  4. ^ "Overachieving Marlins third-base coach Joe Espada true to Puerto Rican roots | marlins.com: News". Miami.marlins.mlb.com. September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  5. ^ "Twins Spring training notebook". Star Tribune. April 1, 1999. Retrieved October 8, 2013. (subscription required)
  6. ^ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (August 7, 2001). "BASEBALL: NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP; Struggling Karros Delivers for Dodgers - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  7. ^ "Yankees hire 2 new hitting coaches". ESPN. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  8. ^ Rosa Rosa, Carlos (August 3, 2016). "Josué Espada continuará en Carolina: El también coach de tercera base de los Yankees confirmó su regreso a la dirección de los Gigantes de la liga invernal por tercera campaña seguida". El Nuevo Dia. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  9. ^ "How Yankees' Joe Girardi would change World Baseball Classic for better". NJ.com. March 14, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  10. ^ R.J. Anderson. "Yankees lose third base coach and managerial candidate to the Astros". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  11. ^ "Rangers managerial candidate Espada in demand". Dallas News. October 16, 2018.
  12. ^ Gonzales, Mark. "As the next manager, David Ross will bring a no-nonsense style to Cubs team that lacked accountability". chicagotribune.com.
  13. ^ Rome, Chandler (November 5, 2022). "Undisputed: 'It proves we're the best team in baseball ... They have nothing to say now.'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Espada.
Sporting positions
Preceded by New York Yankees third base coach
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Houston Astros bench coach
2018–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Espada&oldid=1120403862"