| Joe Espada | |
| Team: | Houston Astros |
| Number: | 19 |
| Position: | Manager |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 30 August 1975 |
| Birth Place: | Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Stat5label: | Managerial record |
| Stat5value: | 64–55 |
| Stat6label: | Winning % |
| Teams: |
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| Awards: |
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Josue Espada (born August 30, 1975) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball coach and former Minor League Baseball player. He is the manager of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously coached in MLB for the Astros, Miami Marlins, and New York Yankees.
After his playing career, Espada became a minor league coach in the Marlins organization and was promoted to be their third base coach from 2010 to 2013. He then joined the Yankees as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Cashman in 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, the Yankees named Espada their third base coach. The Astros hired Espada as their bench coach after the 2017 season, and promoted him to manager after the 2023 season.
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. The Oakland Athletics selected Espada in the second round, with the 45th overall selection, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft.[1]
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.[2] Espada played in Oakland's system through the 2000 season.
A free agent in 2001, Espada signed with the Florida Marlins organization, and was traded to the Colorado Rockies organization for Juan Acevedo in August 2001.[3] He later played in the minor leagues for the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays organizations. In 2004, Espada played for the Pensacola Pelicans in the Central Baseball League, an independent baseball league. He retired after the 2005 season, reaching Triple-A, but never playing in the majors.
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.
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.[4] Instead, Espada took a job with the New York Yankees as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Cashman.[5]
On January 11, 2015, the Yankees hired Espada to be the team's infield coach and third base coach.[6] He managed the Gigantes de Carolina of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in winter baseball.[7] Espada again coached the Puerto Rican team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[8]
The Houston Astros hired Espada after the 2017 season to become their bench coach.[9] He interviewed for the Texas Rangers' managerial position after the 2018 season[10] and for the Chicago Cubs' managerial position after the 2019 season.[11]
In 2022, the Astros advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to give Espada a World Series title.[12]
On 13 November 2023, following the 2023 season, Espada was promoted to manage the Astros after the retirement of Dusty Baker.[13] [14] On April 1, 2024, Espada's first managerial victory arrived via a no-hit effort from Ronel Blanco. Espada became the first manager in MLB history to earn his first win as a result of a no-hitter. It was the 17th no-hitter in franchise history.[15]
As of August 14, 2024
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | |||
| HOU | 2024 | 118 | 64 | 55 | – | – | – | ||||
| HOU total[16] | 119 | 64 | 55 | – | – | – | |||||
He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Espada is married to Pamela Dearth, the sister of Brandon Hyde's wife.[17] The Espadas live in Fulshear, Texas, with their two daughters.