The Houston Astros have chosen their next manager from within the organization, opting to promote bench coach Joe Espada to succeed Dusty Baker in guiding the team.
The 48-year-old joined the team during the 2018 season and has emerged as a favorite among the Astros' players. This is the first managerial position for the Puerto Rican-born coach after a long career in the sport.
"This is a very exciting day for me and my family. I want to thank Jim Crane and the Crane family for this incredible opportunity. I'm humbled by this. This is a dream come true. I just can't express my feelings about how happy I am to get to stay here and manage this team," Espada said in the introductory press conference.
The Astros have displayed remarkable consistency over the years under Baker and previous manager A.J. Hinch, advancing to the American League Championship Series in seven consecutive seasons.
In addition, the Astros reached the World Series in 2017 and 2019 under Hinch and in 2021 and 2022 under Baker.
The franchise secured their two World Series titles in franchise history in 2017 and 2022. With the hiring of Espada, the team is looking to maintain continuity from the previous years' success.
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Espada played in the Minor League Baseball
After playing college baseball with the University of Mobile Rams, Espada had a decade-long career playing minor league baseball across seven MLB organizations from 1996 to 2005. Five of those seasons were spent in Triple-A.
Across his Minor League Baseball career, he achieved a batting average of .275, recorded 130 stolen bases, and scored 379 runs before retiring from professional play.
Espada previously coached two MLB teams
Espada started his coaching career with the Miami Marlins in 2006, serving as the hitting coach on several minor league affiliates. He later assumed the role of the Marlins' minor league infield coordinator before earning a promotion to the main team in 2010, where he took on the responsibility of their third base coach.
After coaching the Puerto Rican national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Espada took a job in the New York Yankees organization in 2014 as a special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman.
In 2015, the Yankees officially appointed Espada as their new infield and third base coach. He served in this capacity until the conclusion of the 2017 season, at which point he departed for the Astros to take on the bench coach role.
Several teams inquired about Espada in the past
Following the Astros' World Series appearance in 2019, he was in the conversation for managerial positions with the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Three years later, amid the Astros' 2022 championship season, Espada interviewed with the Chicago White Sox and the Miami Marlins.
Espada remained optimistic despite interviewing for various managerial positions in recent years without securing a role. Upon Dusty Baker's retirement, Espada finally got to step into a managerial position for Houston.
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