Meet Joe Espada

Joe Espada has been named as the infield coach for the New York Yankees for the 2015 season. Espada will be the teams third base coaching replacing Rob Thomson as he moves to the bench coach position. Let's take a quick look at where Espada has been, what Espada has done and what Espada can bring to the table in the Bronx in 2015. 

Espada was actually in the Yankees organization during the 2014 season as a special assistant to Yankees GM Brian Cashman after turning down a managing position for the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. Espada is a resident of Jupiter, Florida so for him to take the job with the Yankees over the head coaching job shows a bit of loyalty if you ask me, but that’s just if you ask me. Espada was also a third base coach with the Miami Marlins before joining the Yankees organization so he definitely has experience coaching at the major league level.

Espada also played some professional baseball after being selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round (45^th overall) of the 1996 MLB First year Players Draft. Espada was left unprotected in the 1998 Rule V Draft and was selected by the Minnesota Twins before failing to stick and being returned to Oakland. Espada bounced around the minor leagues before signing a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins in 2001 only to be traded to the Colorado Rockies. Espada bounced around the minors until 2005 when he retired having never made the major leagues after stops with the Royals, Cardinals, Rangers and then Devil Rays.

Espada retired and joined the Florida Marlins organization as the hitting coach for their Class A affiliate in 2006 before being bumped up to Class A+ in Jupiter in 2007 for the same position. Espada spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons as the Marlins minor league infield coordinator which led to being named the Marlins third base coach for the 2010 season. Espada stayed as the Marlins third base coach through the 2013 season before being reassigned to manage Jupiter while also managing the Puerto Rican national baseball team during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Obviously Espada turned down the managerial job to join the Yankees front office and is now New York’s major league infield instructor. Congratulations to Mr. Espada and a warm welcome to the family from everyone here at The Greedy Pinstripes.