Los Jefes: Astros manager Joe Espada

Joe Espada will surely get some votes for American League Manager of the Year. The native of Puerto Rico has guided the Astros from a difficult start to another AL West title.

After paying his dues as a bench coach for the Astros since 2018, the Santurce native finally got his opportunity after Dusty Baker retired after the 2023 season.

In honor of Latino Heritage Month, Our Esquina is highlighting Latino excellence in leadership with a series of Q&A’s with Major League Baseball’s five Latino managers.

‘Want Puerto Rico to be proud’

Our Esquina: How proud are you to have so many Latino managers getting a chance and taking advantage of the opportunity?

Joe Espada: We have to represent ourselves with integrity and professionalism because we’re trying to leave that door open for many others who are capable of doing this job. So I want as a Puerto Rican, I want Puerto Rico to be proud of the way I conduct myself, the way I manage this team.

I want my girls, my family, to be proud of the way I’m representing this culture. There’s a lot of people who are watching us and want to be in this chair. So we gotta keep that door open. A lot starts with how we carry ourselves.

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OE: More than 50 percent of the population in Houston and Harris County are Latino. How is it being Josue Espada in the community? Do people approach you?

JE: A cada rato. Siempre me están saludando. (All the time. They’re always greeting me.) You name it. Grocery store, taking the girls to school, me doing any community service, I feel like I’m home. Venezuelans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, you name it.

As a Puerto Rican manager, as a Latino manager, being able postgame to give answers in Spanish so they understand what goes on behind the scenes and my perspective as a Latino it’s important. Because I’m representing millions of people, I want them to know exactly how I feel, what I’m thinking, how our players, how they are. Being in this chair has been a blessing.

Joe Espada proudly reps Latinos

OE: What does Roberto Clemente mean to you? How have you fulfilled his legacy in a way that every Puerto Rican I’ve talked to wants to fulfill that legacy?

JE: When we think about Roberto Clemente, I immediately think of what he did for the community, right? He was a great baseball player. But the lives he touched outside the baseball diamond, that’s what you want to be known for. I think that Roberto Clemente is my role model because of how he did it, what he endured, what he went through.

Talking about the (Astros’ difficult) first two months of our season, it was nothing (compared) to what he went through when he was going through in the minor leagues and the big leagues and (in terms of) race (issues) and hatred.

All that kind of stuff, I look at what he went through, and I’m like, ‘Joe this is nothing compared to what others have been through.’ Using his determination as an example to me to keep moving forward and not lose hope. That’s kind of what Roberto Clemente means to me and the Latin American community.

Team Rubio

OE: You were on Team Puerto Rico’s coaching staff for a pair of World Baseball Classics, 2013 and 2017. What was the bond like for those teams? And how important was it for you all to rally for the island after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

JE: Team Rubio, it is amazing how that WBC Tournament brings our countries together, especially Puerto Rico. They rally behind the team. So we were using that momentum to make sure that we, let’s finish the job. We were trying to win a gold medal. We ended up winning the silver, but we used that momentum after the tournament to, ‘Say, hey, we can still make an impact. We still can use the Baseball Classic Team Rubio name and momentum to outreach and help their community.

We need to use our voices to help our island, and we did. A lot of organizations did that. Some of the players through their foundations did that. We used our stage, and we used our Team Rubio to make sure that we finished the job. We’re there not only to win that tournament, but make sure we win that tournament.