Joe Espada


Josue Espada is a Puerto Rican professional baseball coach and former minor league player. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the bench coach for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.
Espada was the third base coach for the Miami Marlins. He then joined the New York Yankees as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Cashman in 2014. Prior to the 2015 season, Espada was named the Yankees' third base coach. The Astros hired Espada after the 2017 season.

Playing career

Espada attended the University of Mobile, where he played college baseball for the Mobile Rams. The Oakland Athletics selected 2B / SS Espada in the second round, with the 45th overall selection, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft.
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.
A free agent in 2001, Espada signed with the Florida Marlins, and was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Juan Acevedo in August 2001. He later played for the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays organizations, playing until 2005, reaching Triple-A, but never playing in the majors.

Coaching career

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. Instead, Espada took a job with the New York Yankees as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Cashman.
On January 11, 2015, the Yankees hired Espada to be the team's new infield coach and third base coach. He manages 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 World Baseball Classic.
The Houston Astros hired Espada after the 2017 season to become their bench coach.

Personal life

Espada resides in Jupiter, Florida with his wife Dr. Pamela Dearth-Espada and their two daughters.