Josue Espada (born August 30, 1975) is a Puerto Rican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

coach and former

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

player. He is the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He previously coached in MLB for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, and the Astros. In international competition, Espada has coached for

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, winning two

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

s in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

(WBC). From Santurce, Puerto Rico, Espada attended the

University of Mobile The University of Mobile is a private Baptist university in Prichard, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the Mobile Rams. He was selected in the second round of the 1996 MLB draft by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

, and played in the A's minor league system until 2000. As a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

the following year, Espada signed with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

, and subsequently played in four other organizations and independent baseball, reaching as high as Triple-A with a total of five seasons at that level. After his playing career, Espada became a coach in the Marlins organization and was promoted to be their major league third base coach from 2010 to 2013. He then joined the Yankees as a special assistant to the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

in 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, the Yankees named Espada as third base coach. The Astros hired Espada as bench coach after the 2017 season, and promoted him to manager after the 2023 season.

College and minor league playing career

Espada attended the

, where he played

for the Mobile Rams. He set a Mobile record with a .442

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. The

selected Espada in the second round, with the 45th overall selection, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. The

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

selected Espada from the Athletics in the 1998

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

, but he failed to make the Twins'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster, and was returned to the Athletics. Espada played in Oakland's system through the 2000 season. A

in 2001, Espada signed with the

organization, and was traded to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

organization for Juan Acevedo in August 2001. He later played in the minor leagues for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, Texas Rangers, and

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

organizations. In 2004, Espada played for the

Pensacola Pelicans The Pensacola Pelicans were a minor league baseball team based in Pensacola, Florida. In various incarnations, they played in three different independent baseball leagues (leagues unaffiliated with Major League Baseball) from 2002 to 2010. They p ...

in the

Central Baseball League The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas–Louisiana League, was an independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron ...

, an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

. 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 The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in 2006, and for the

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

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 The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

(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

as a special assistant to

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 The Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Spanish: Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, abbreviation LBPRC) is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter le ...

in winter baseball. Espada again coached the Puerto Rican team in the 2017 WBC.

Houston Astros

2018–2023

The

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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

' managerial position after the 2019 season. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, the Astros advanced to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

and defeated the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

in six games to give Espada a

title.

2024

On 13 November 2023, following the 2023 season, Espada was promoted to manage the Astros after the retirement of

Dusty Baker Johnnie B "Dusty" Baker Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and Manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers. D ...

, as 25th in franchise history. On April 1,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, Espada's first victory arrived via a no-hit effort from

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

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 A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least three wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties. In sports, it can be applied to te ...

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 Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. The Astros clinched the American League (AL) West division title on September 24 with a 4–3 victory over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, 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. The Astros faced the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in the AL

Wild Card Series The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

in Espada's first postseason experience as manager; however, the Tigers swept the Astros in the best-of-3 series.

Managerial record

''As of May 30, 2025''

Personal life

He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Espada is married to Pamela Dearth, the sister of

Brandon Hyde Brandon Michael Hyde (born October 3, 1973) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager who most recently managed the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hyde had previously served as the bench coach, director o ...

's wife. The Espadas live in Fulshear, Texas, with their two daughters.

References

External links

MLB.com biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espada, Joey 1975 births Living people Baseball infielders Calgary Cannons players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Frisco RoughRiders players Houston Astros coaches Houston Astros managers Huntsville Stars players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches Memphis Redbirds players Miami Marlins coaches Midland RockHounds players Minor league baseball coaches Mobile Rams baseball players Montgomery Biscuits players New York Yankees coaches New York Yankees executives Omaha Royals players Palm Beach Cardinals players Pensacola Pelicans players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada Sacramento River Cats players Southern Oregon Timberjacks players Vancouver Canadians players Visalia Oaks players West Michigan Whitecaps players Mat-Su Miners players People from Santurce, Puerto Rico