Joe Espada

College and minor league playing career

Espada attended the University of Mobile, where he played college baseball for the Mobile Rams. He set a school record with a .442 batting average.

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. 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. 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 as a player following the 2005 season, reaching Triple-A, but never playing in the majors.

Coaching career

Florida / Miami Marlins

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 their third base coach prior to the 2010 season. He had coached previously for the Puerto Rican national team during the 2013 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. Instead, Espada took a job with the New York Yankees as a special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman.

New York Yankees

On January 11, 2015, the Yankees hired Espada to be the team's infield coach and third base coach. He managed the Gigantes de Carolina of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in winter baseball. Espada again coached the Puerto Rican team in the 2017 WBC.

Houston Astros

2018–2023

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

In 2022, the Astros advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give Espada a World Series title.

2024

On 13 November 2023, following the 2023 season, Espada was promoted to manage the Astros after the retirement of Dusty Baker, as 25th in franchise history. On April 1, 2024, Espada's first victory arrived via a no-hit effort from starting pitcher Ronel Blanco, the 17th such achievement in franchise history. Espada became the first manager in MLB history to earn his first win as a result of a no-hitter.

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-game winning streak ensued, and the Astros claimed their 40th win to reach .500 for the first time. On September 13, the Astros secured the 5,000th win in franchise history with a 5–3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The Astros clinched the American League (AL) West division title on September 24 with a 4–3 victory over the Seattle Mariners, Espada's first guiding a club as manager, as well as qualifying him for his first postseason entrance as manager. Additionally, it was the club's fourth consecutive division title, 14th in franchise history, and ninth postseason berth in 10 seasons.

During a contest versus the Athletics on July 25, 2025, A's rookie Nick Kurtz hit the 20th four home run game in major league history, and a record-tying six hits off Astros pitching, becoming just the second player since Shawn Green to achieve the feat.

Managerial record

As of September 28, 2025

Personal life

He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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

References

References

1. (September 21, 2013). "Overachieving Marlins third-base coach Joe Espada true to Puerto Rican roots". Miami.marlins.mlb.com.
2. (April 1, 1999). "Twins Spring training notebook". Star Tribune.
3. (August 7, 2001). "Baseball: National League roundup; struggling Karros delivers for Dodgers". The New York Times.
4. "Joe Espada minors, winter, and independent leagues statistics". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
5. Rodríguez, Juan C.. (September 22, 2013). "Miami Marlins reassign third-base coach Joe Espada". [[Sun Sentinel]].
6. Rodríguez, Juan C.. (November 5, 2013). "Miami Marlins: Yankees hire third-base coach Joe Espada as special assistant". Sun Sentinel.
7. Marchand, Andrew. (January 11, 2015). "Yankees hire 2 new hitting coaches". [[ESPN]].
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]].
9. Miller, Randy. (March 14, 2017). "How Yankees' Joe Girardi would change World Baseball Classic for better".
10. R.J. Anderson. (November 2, 2017). "Yankees lose third base coach and managerial candidate to the Astros". CBSSports.com.
11. Fraley, Gerry. (2018-10-16). "Rangers managerial candidate Espada in demand".
12. Gonzales, Mark. (October 23, 2019). "As the next manager, David Ross will bring a no-nonsense style to Cubs team that lacked accountability".
13. Rome, Chandler. (November 5, 2022). "Undisputed: 'It proves we're the best team in baseball ... They have nothing to say now.'". [[Houston Chronicle]].
14. (13 November 2023). "Espada introduced as Astros manager: 'This is a very special place'". MLB News.
15. (13 November 2023). "Astros Officially Announce Joe Espada As New Team Manager". Secret Houston.
16. Kawahara, Matt. (April 1, 2024). "Astros manager Joe Espada becomes first manager in MLB history to earn first win with no-hitter". Houston Chronicle.
17. (September 24, 2024). "Houston Astros clinch fourth straight AL West title". ESPN.com.
18. McTaggart, Brian. (September 13, 2024). "Astros remain unblemished with Kikuchi on the mound". MLB.com.
19. Rieken, Kristie. (October 2, 2024). "Gritty Tigers close out playoff sweep of Astros with 5–2 victory in Game 2 of Wild Card Series". Associated Press (AP) News.
20. (July 25, 2025). "Athletics' Nick Kurtz goes wild: 4 HRs, 6 hits, 19 total bases". ESPN.com.
21. "Joe Espada managerial record". Sports Reference.
22. Lemire, Joe. (October 18, 2019). "Steeped in Astros' and Yankees' Ways, Joe Espada Is a Hot Commodity".