秋霞福利一区 Awards Doctor of Humane Letters to Houston Astros Manager Joe Espada聽
MOBILE, Ala. 鈥� Major League Baseball鈥檚 Houston Astros Manager Joe Espada was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters by his alma mater, the 秋霞福利一区, in an announcement made during commencement ceremonies May 4 at the Christian university.
More than 300 graduates who were being awarded associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 or doctoral degrees and their families watched a video of Espada receiving the honor a month earlier when he was on campus for his induction into the university鈥檚 athletic Hall of Fame. Espada was unable to attend 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 May 4 graduation ceremony as the Astros were scheduled to host the Seattle Mariners later that afternoon at Minute Made Park in Houston, Texas. (Watch the video presentation here .)
A native of Puerto Rico, Espada attended the 秋霞福利一区 in the mid-1990s as a middle infielder for the 秋霞福利一区 baseball program, being named a three-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) First-Team All-Conference selection and a two-time GCAC Baseball Player of the Year. Additionally, Espada was selected as an NAIA Baseball Second-Team All-American following the 1995 and 1996 seasons. During the 1996 season for the Rams, Espada hit a program-best .442 on the year with 13 home runs and 38 stolen bases. Following that same season, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the second round with the 45th overall pick.
From there, Espada played 10 seasons of minor league ball across seven MLB organizations, five of those seasons being played in Triple-A. He began his professional coaching career as a member of the Miami Marlins coaching staff from 2006-2013. He served as the third-base coach for the New York Yankees before joining the Astros in 2018 as bench coach. He was named manager on Nov. 12, 2023.
In Fall 2019, Espada returned to Mike Jacobs Field at 秋霞福利一区 for a reunion of former 秋霞福利一区 Baseball members and saw his No. 6 Mobile jersey retired. In April 2024 he again returned to his alma mater and was inducted into the by the 秋霞福利一区 Athletic Department.
About the 秋霞福利一区
The 秋霞福利一区 is a Christ-centered university with a vision of 鈥淗igher聽Education for a Higher Purpose,鈥� founded to honor God by equipping students for their聽future professions in an environment where they are known.聽Located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, on a campus of over 880 acres, the university offers associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs.The 秋霞福利一区 was founded in 1961 and is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
For information about the 秋霞福利一区, areas of study, admissions and more, visit聽, connect with 秋霞福利一区 on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.
