4 Reasons why Joe Espada was the right hire for the Astros

#2 Espada SHOULD bring a blend of analytics and feel

Joe Espada has been a bench coach under A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker. As previously mentioned, he was a front office assistant to Brian Cashman when the Yankees actually implemented analytics in a wise manner. He's served under two analytical savants in Jeff Luhnow and James Click, and one old-school scouting mind in Dana Brown.

Needless to say, Espada has seen it all. His resume affords the perfect opportunity to blend both analytics and feel. Houston doesn't need to be the Tampa Bay Rays that makes all of their in-game decisions via computer, but they can't abandon analytics full tilt.

The Astros front office has been trending more towards the old school mentality than new, and Espada is equipped to push back on some of the "left on left" style schools of thought Houston so often implemented over the last few years.

Espada made it clear in his press conference that he will play "the best players" and explained that his decision to pinch hit Yainer Diaz and Jon Singleton for Jeremy Peña and Martín Maldonado in Game 5 of the ALCS after Dusty's ejection was solely his. It was a managerial master class, and a move Baker's allegiance and loyalty to a fault simply wouldn't have allowed him to do.

The Astros built their power with an incredibly analytical front office, but AJ Hinch still managed with feel rather than by the numbers. Espada will be a great combination of analytical savvy and pure baseball I.Q.

#3 Dana Brown made the hire

While it may be flying under the radar, one of the most significant elements of Espada's introductory press conference was who joined him on stage: Dana Brown and nobody else. Dana Brown is the Astros GM for a reason. Let him act like it.

Brown had been endorsing Espada for some time, but there was fear the ongoing power struggle between front office and ownership would continue. Would Dana Brown be able to build his staff, or would Jim Crane move closer to Jerry Jones on the hands-on owner spectrum and make the final call? How much of an influence would Jeff Bagwell have on the decision?

It's early in Brown's tenure, and maybe he isn't a first-class head of baseball ops like Luhnow and Click before him were. But regardless, you can't handcuff your GM. If Espada, and for that matter Brown don't pan out, you can cross that bridge when you get there.

Brown said this today:

I appreciate Jim Crane allowing me to lead the charge and I continued to keep him updated on what my thought process was and where we were going in this direction.

But Brown had a first class resume and has earned the right to call the shots. That Crane let him do just that is a very encouraging sign.

#4 The Astros and Espada know each other well

Make no mistake--knowing the personnel and continuity are not one in the same. Sure, the Astros could have gone with another internal candidate. Omar Lopez has some managerial experience (and is likely deserving of a promotion to bench coach), and an argument could be made for that being continuity.

A candidate like Rodney Linares managed many Astros minor leaguers on their way up through the system, including Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. Linares knows some of the personnel, but he's been gone since 2018. He wouldn't bring continuity.

Espada is the only candidate that brings continuity and knows the personnel.

For the last six seasons, Espada has run Spring Training. He's been responsible for coaching the infield, which has seen both Carlos Correa and Jeremy Peña win a gold glove at shortstop, Yuli Gurriel at first base, and Mauricio Dubón as a utility player. He's gone to war with this team, both pre and post-scandal.

And that carries weight. Espada said this today:

I’ve seen this team win a lot of games and I know what it takes to win. I know how to push these players, when to push them, and I think it matters. I think these players trust me, but trust is earned. It’s a two-way street. And I think I’ve done a good job making sure these players know what it takes, and I think that helped me to be a good fit for this job.

Espada knows what makes the clubhouse tick, and he knows how to engage with them. That is vital for as tight-knit a group as the Astros. There won't be an on-ramp of getting to know everybody, but rather Espada can hit the ground running.

With motivation a plenty after narrowly missing out on a third straight World Series trip, Espada doesn't have to reinvent the wheel to get the guys ready. He will know what buttons to push, and when.

There was only one man to hire all along, and Dana Brown did just that. Joe Espada was the right man for the job.