Two ‘prominent’ Astros make confidential complaints against Joe Espada.
The Houston Astros have underperformed dramatically in Joe Espada’s debut season as manager. Behind the scenes, some Astros believe his term should end after the 2024 season.
Two ‘prominent’ members of Houston’s club have ‘quietly conveyed’ concerns about Espada’s communication skills, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. There is no news on whether the Astros are genuinely considering a change in manager, but missing the postseason would be disastrous for Espada’s prospects of retaining.
If Houston moves on, the Boston Red Sox’s Alex Cora and the Miami Marlins’ Skip Schumaker are expected to be the most sought-after managers in the coming offseason.
When Dusty Baker stepped down as Astros manager, Joe Espada was promoted. He had been the team’s bench coach since 2017, and won the World Series in 2022. Espada has worked as a coach for the New York Yankees and Marlins. He has also coached Puerto Rico’s National Team during the World Baseball Classic.
However, despite Espada’s experience and ties to Houston, the Astros have very different expectations for their organization. They’ve been to the ALCS every year since 2017. Two of those seasons concluded with World Series rings. Houston has grown into an MLB powerhouse, and they have no intention of relinquishing their title anytime soon.
The franchise is in upheaval and requires a significant turnaround to return to playoff contention. It will be up to Joe Espada to help the Astros rise from the ashes. But at least two of his teammates aren’t convinced he’s the proper man for the job.
What has gone wrong for Astros
Houston has a 14-25 record and is in last place in the AL West. The Astros have lost six of their previous ten games and are already seven games behind the first-place Texas Rangers.
Injuries have obviously contributed to Houston’s troubles. The rotation has been decimated, especially with Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers, and Joe Urquidy all on the injured list. Christian Javier recently returned from injury, but Justin Verlander began the year on the injured list.
While injuries are not the Astros’ fault, Houston’s rotation has been unable to keep up. The Astros have a 4.91 ERA, which ranks them 28th in the league. Their batting average against is.257, which ranks fourth. Houston signed star closer Josh Hader to a $95 million contract in the summer, and he has a 5.29 ERA.
The offense has tried to make up for the pitching rotation’s shortcomings, ranking 14th in the league with 177 runs scored. They are second in batting average (.262) and eighth in home runs (46). However, several prominent players on the roster have struggled.
Jose Abreu has been demoted to the minors for his persistent troubles. Alex Bregman is currently hitting.201 with one home run. While Jeremy Pena has been great, and Kyle Tucker has already hit 12 home runs, the Astros’ offense still requires improvement.
Joe Espada will not be entering the batter’s box anytime soon. But he has the authority to make significant changes. The Astros may be able to turn things around if the squad becomes healthy and players find their rhythm. However, Espada is already facing criticism early in the 2024 season.
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