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Houston (AP) — Dusty Baker, who retired last month, was replaced as manager of the Houston Astros by Joe Espada, who took over on Monday.
“This humbles me,” Espada remarked. “A dream come true, this is. I simply cannot put into words how grateful I am to be able to remain here and lead this team.
The 48-year-old Espada, who has been Houston’s bench coach since 2018, is taking on his first managerial role.
The Astros have made it to the AL Championship Series seven times in a row, and they won their second World Series in 2022 after making it to the Series in 2021 and 2022.
“We aimed to sustain the achievements in Houston. We identified the ideal candidate for the position. Dana Brown, general manager, stated, “Our fans deserve it.
In the Marlins organization, Espada started his coaching career in the minor leagues before becoming the third base coach for the major league team in 2010.
After playing for the Marlins through the 2013 season, he joined Brian Cashman, general manager of the New York Yankees, as a special assistant. He became a member of the Yankees coaching staff in 2015 and served as their third base and infield coach until the end of the 2017 campaign.
Born in Puerto Rico, Espada spent nine seasons in the minor leagues after being selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1996 amateur draft. As a player, he reached Triple-A but was never able to make it to the majors. He then started a coaching career at the age of 29.
