NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is more Latino than ever, and the numbers back it up…
Out of the 30 managers across MLB, six are of Latino descent (20%): Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox, Pedro Grifol of the Chicago White Sox, Joe Espada of the Houston Astros, Carlos Mendoza of the New York Mets, Dave Martinez of the Washington Nationals, and Oliver Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Uniquely enough, three Latino managers are in each respective league, American and National. Provided below is a list of each skipper with further information such as birthplace, current age, Latino ties, years managed + career record, and much more.
Alex Cora: 48-year-old, of Caguas, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
-Red Sox manager in 2018, 2019, and 2021-present, 440-370 overall record in five seasons
Alex Cora makes a lineup change during half-inning in Red Sox-Yankees at Yankee Stadium – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
-Led Boston to the 2018 World Series title, ninth WS championship in franchise history
-Is the fifth-manager in MLB history to win the World Series in their first year as a Major League skipper — Bucky Harris in 1924, Eddie Dyer in 1946, Ralph Houk in 1961, Bob Brenly in 2001, and Cora in 2018
Pedro Grifol: 53-year-old, of Cuban descent 🇨🇺
-Born in Miami, Florida
-White Sox manager from 2023-present, 61-101 record last season
-Spent several years with the Kansas City Royals as a bench coach, and before then, served 13 seasons with the Seattle Mariners as a coach in various positions within the organization
Joe Espada: 48-year-old, of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
-Hired as Astros manager earlier this month
Joe Espada officially introduced as the Astros manager in a press conference at Minute Maid Park – Image Credit: MLB
-Second-ever Latino manager in Astros franchise history — Cuban-born Preston Gómez was the first in 1974-1975
-13 years of overall experience as a Major League coach included with the Astros, Miami Marlins, and NY Yankees
-Third base coach for Team Puerto Rico in 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic
Carlos Mendoza: 43-year-old, of Barquisimeto, Venezuela 🇻🇪
-Hired as NY Mets manager earlier this month, turns 44 next week on Nov. 27th
-Second-ever Venezuela-born manager in MLB history, joining Ozzie Guillén
-Spent last 15 years in NY Yankees organization in a variety of coaching positions as well as serving as a bench coach for Team Venezuela in 2023 World Baseball Classic
Dave Martinez: 59-year-old, of Puerto Rican descent 🇵🇷
-Born in Brooklyn, New York
Dave Martinez following a mound visit during Nationals-Mets at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
-Nationals manager from 2018-present, 392-478 overall record in six seasons
-Led the franchise to their first-ever World Series title in 2019
-Third-ever Latino manager to win a World Series in MLB history — joining Ozzie Guillén in 2005 and Alex Cora in 2018
Oliver Marmol: 37-year-old, of Dominican descent 🇩🇴
-Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and moved to Orlando, Florida
-Cardinals manager from 2022-present, 164-160 overall record in two seasons
-Second minority to manage the Cardinals — the first was Cuban-born Mike González, who did so in 1938 and 1940
-Won 2022 NL Central division in first season as a MLB skipper, appearing in the NL Wild Card series
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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