#managers #MLB #join #jobs #start #campaign
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — Joe Espada has worked under a prestigious group of managers. He was an assistant to Joe Girardi, AJ Hinch and Dusty Baker, three drivers who were crowned World Series champions, before becoming a manager for the first time, when he was hired by the Houston Astros after Baker’s retirement.
Espada will be baptized in the position this Thursday, when the Astros begin the campaign against the New York Yankees, and one of his former bosses has some advice for the 48-year-old Puerto Rican.
“He just needs to continue being himself, not copy the other managers he’s worked with,” Hinch said. “He will have to find his own style and direction. His instincts are phenomenal. He has a phenomenal work ethic. His handling of the players is phenomenal. The only thing I ask of him is that he be himself and make the decisions that he wants to make.”
Espada and Venezuelan Carlos Mendoza (Mets) are two of the eight managers who take the reins in new teams this season. Espada, Mendoza and Stephen Vogt (Cleveland) are the only three without any previous experience as full-time leaders.
For Espada, adjusting to his new job is made easy by the fact that he has been the Astros’ bench coach since 2018.
“The good thing is that I made the transition with a team I already knew,” he said. “The links are important. When you come to an organization where you don’t know many people, it takes time to build that trust and connection with people. But having that here has made the transition easier.”
Espada is the only foreman this season to take over duties with the team he was a part of.
Mendoza, who replaces Buck Showalter, served as the Yankees’ bench coach from the 2020 campaign until he was hired by the Mets. Vogt, 39, just ended a decade as a major league player in 2022, followed by a season as the bullpen and quality control coach in Seattle before being called up to replace Terry Francona.
Pat Murphy (Milwaukee) is one of three managers, along with Ron Washington (Angels) and Mike Shildt (San Diego), who were hired with experience in tow. But Murphy is the one with the least experience of the three after being the interim manager of the Padres for just over half the season in 2015 after the firing of Bud Black.
Like Espada, Murphy remained with the team when he took over as manager after having worked as Craig Counsell’s bench coach in Milwaukee since 2016.
Murphy, who was hired after Counsell signed to manage the Cubs, said the experience gained in that job has prepared him for his new role. He added that he has spoken to Baker, Joe Torre and Joe Maddon for advice.
“Nothing comes across as super complicated,” he said. “I learned a lot where I was over the last eight years in terms of ‘maybe it has to be done this way’ or ‘this makes sense.’”
At 65, Murphy is among the oldest managers in baseball. He says getting his first full-time job as a pilot allows him to value it more.
“Your ego is tested all the time,” he said. “If you let your ego rule, you will end up disappointed every time. When you’re young and you want to be proven, to be known, or for people to see that you’re fantastic, that turns out to be stupid. But it’s what we do.”
Washington returns to command for the first time since he resigned from leading the Texas Rangers in the final stretch of the 2014 campaign, and after leading them to two World Series in eight seasons.
At 71 years old, Washington will be the oldest manager in the majors after Baker retired at 74. After leaving the Rangers, Washington was an assistant with the A’s and Braves.
Shildt returns after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 252-199 record from 2018-21. Shildt, the 2019 National League Manager of the Year, served as Bob Melvin’s assistant before he left for the Giants.
Counsell and Melvin are in a different situation than the other six drivers, making the jump from one job to another.
Counsell left for Chicago after compiling a 707-625 record in nine seasons with the Brewers.
Melvin joined the Giants after a 20-year career as a manager for the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Athletics and Padres.
Espada admits he was disappointed when he was passed over for several vacancies in recent years until he was finally named manager this year.
Now that he has the job he dreamed of for so long, he believes that everything has turned out as it should have. And he doesn’t let up on anything now that he’s in charge.
“Personal growth is important,” he said. “Every day I try to improve and make sure I am surrounded by people who support me and I have players who want the best for the team. So I always seek advice to be the best in my life.” job”.
