What's Manager Joe Espada's Grade Thus Far?

Set to take on the Cubs this afternoon, the Astros have continued to struggle to win games resulting in only 7 wins, the least amount in the AL West. Some feel the learning curve for Joe has surpassed him now and wonder when will things turn around. Has Joe earned a decent managing grade this far?  

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
The Shawn Salisbury Show continues on sevenninety and continues in your home. Say
Alexa play Sports Talk seven ninety oniHeartRadio. Texans debut in their brand new
jerseys today at ten am. ZachWilson trading from the Jets to the Broncos.
The Draft in the NFL just twodays away. Seven one three,

(00:22):
two one two five, seven ninetyis the number to join. Let's talk
to Brandon Brandon. Good morning,Hello Brandon, By Good morning, morn
morning John, Good morning Brandon.How are you fantastic? How are you
today? It's on your mind talkingabout the new forms of the Texans we're

(00:49):
gonna be wearing. I might likeit, Brian, you know more about
those uniforms than ideal. Yeah,Brandon's supposed to be pretty damn good.
There gonna be debut today at tenam, so make sure you stay tuned.
Okay, and question, I waswatching New York and oak One.

(01:10):
Did you hear what happened? You? We sure did you? Are you
referring to the manager Aaron Boone forthe Yankees. Yep. We're going to
talk about that at seven o'clock thismorning, so make sure you're listening in
okay, Brandon, Okay, allright, Brandon, thanks you buddy,
have a good day you too.Sounds good, Brandon, seven seven,

(01:34):
I needy the number to join.What do you grade or what grade do
you give Joe a spot us?So far as we are twenty three games
end of the season. You knowwhat I Brian, I you don't want
to do a grade? No,I can give him a grade, okay,
I mean I have a problem withthat. I don't see how you
can give him. See, Ido think and I disagree in one point

(01:59):
when they say there's not it.When when Dana had told us it's okay
to disagree, and he sees himmore than we do. I mean,
I'm not around him. But whenhe said as a rookie manager, when
I asked him the as I've saidbefore, but for people who didn't hear
him saying, there shouldn't be abig learning curve for Joe Spotta, and

(02:20):
that would be for me saying,let's say you've been an offensive coordinator around
Andy Reid for a long time.You got that great teacher like a Dusty
Baker, right and who's been inthe game a long time, and then
you go get a head coaching jobnow, even if it's somewhere else.
Now you get Andy Reid's, it'sthe shoes are even bigger to fill because
you got to replace a Hall offamer like Joe Aspot is replacing. But
for you know, you go andwhat we've seen it happen with Matt Naggie,

(02:46):
the most highly regarded offensive coordinator going. He got the job in Chicago
out in what three years? Yeah, gone gone. So the learning curve,
I do believe there's a learning curve. I think it's different because now
you're leading people, managing tax asthe things that you could say to your
players as an assistant, I meanas a bench coach, and the relationships
you could develop. While relationships areimportant, the other side of it is

(03:09):
you now are the guy held responsiblefor every decision for the most part that's
made when it comes to on thefield. So I do think there's a
learning curve for me, there's noI don't care that he's a rookie,
if you're just I'm judging him,especially if I'm going by when Dana said
there shouldn't be a learning curve,a big one, very small because he's
been in baseball. Then it's aC minus at best. You can't.

(03:31):
You can't give him anything higher thana C. Jud you just can't.
That's a great I was going togive see, and I would think that
if you're comparing him to other decisionshave been made that haven't worked out,
and you know, the other partthat he's you know, trying to keep
it together is with all these injuries, he's had a lot to deal with.
But that hits a lot of managers. So what are we judging him

(03:52):
on. I'm judging him on performancedecisions and where they are right now,
and it's sitting right in the midarea. He's a C. He wouldn't
be making the honor roll and hewouldn't fail out of class. So whether
you're a C, I can't puta plus on it. It's see,
it's it's in the C category,but it's not C plus. He just
sitting there. He's been average,as has the team been below average.

(04:14):
But it just and so that's partof the learning curve. So doesn't mean
that you can't make a C onyour first test and go on and make
an A in the class. Ofcourse you can. But early returns say
that he looks like a rookie managerto me, and this team has vastly
underachieved this year, which is notlike him because we are spoiled and I

(04:35):
do, but there's no way thatthis season. There's no way in my
mind. And I can almost saythis with full confidence that they can go
one hundred and fifty games, onehundred and forty more games, one hundred
and twenty more games that they playplaying this poor baseball. Yeah, you
know, they have to win likethe next They have to win sixty percent
of their games from here on outto win, and they are like ninety

(04:57):
plus wins and they are very capableof it. But I was going to
say that's especially with the jury,with what we're looking right looking at right
now, and a rookie manager.So yeah, he's he's been. He's
been a C. And I thinkthis team, if you're saying, okay,
judge of the team individuals, there'ssome individuals that are A. I
think Payne is an A. Ithink Al is a A. I think

(05:17):
Jordan. The only reason why Jordawouldn't be an A plus is because we
expect him to lead the league inevery category and so he's a minus.
But I know that he's going tobe on the plus category. Alex Bregman
kind of like in truth, AlexBregman has been about a C minus.
No, the reason I'm saying itbecause of his defensive side. We're just
talking about plate. He hasn't producedanything. He's been. He's been a

(05:40):
D. He's barely passing and that'sbecause we looked at a slugging percentage.
He's on base percentage is just notthe same run. Yeah, we're not
parlaying out the season. We're justtalking twenty three games too. Yeah,
so uh aspota Uh. I don'twant to say solid C. I think
in some cases some would say,oh, he's been better than because the
injury C plus, and I thinksome would say see minus because well,

(06:01):
he's made some decisions that you gotto get better at. So it's been
they've been very blah, and thisteam is underachieved twenty some games. In
injuries are not at the plate.They've underachieved. And there ain't no injury
to the last three guys in abullpen, I can tell you that,
And there are no soreness there.And that's underachieved for a group that would
have been my that I would havesold the farm that they were going to

(06:25):
dominate the back in the bullpen.They haven't yet. They still can.
It can't get worse for them.Looks like Tom wants to give Joe Spot
an F. Tom, good morning, come on it. What's up?
Hello, Tom? Tom? Turnyour radio down, turn your radio down.
I give him an F because hemakes no decisions? Tom, Tom,

(06:45):
Tom, Radio down? Tom,Tom, you got to turn your
radio down. Okay, Well there'ssome background sound, so just want to
make sure you could hear us.Just make sure you can hear no problem,
we got you. Well then whatwas that sound? He makes no
decision zero. He can't even makea lineup right, So what what?

(07:06):
What's so? You said? Yougive We couldn't hear you because of the
background noise, so you give himan F. I give him. He
can't make any decisions, he doesn'tknow how to put a lineup together,
and he's been with the league along time, so just giving him a
rookie stance is well, I didn't. I'm telling you what they did.

(07:27):
And Dana Brown says he should bethe the window. You know, the
learning curve shouldn't be big. Soif you've been around baseball that long.
Now it's different. I do knowthat it's different when you go from one
to the next. But I don'tgive him an F. But I I
think Joe A. Spot has gotif if he managed like this for two
years, he wouldn't have a jobas the manager of the Astros. So

(07:47):
but I still think it can getbetter because people hold him in high regard.
I think he's a good baseball guy. But being the manager where you're
responsible is a lot different than beingthe other guy that doesn't have to take
on all the responsibility. And whywould you move the lineup so far around
when you had your first five peopleall of last season and season before?

(08:09):
Fair point? Excuse me, Tom, that's a fair point. We appreciate
the call man if he was drivingand I heard it, and he did
have his radio odd, And thenthe next thing he had, uh,
if he's driving all, where'd thenoise come from that voice talking yeah?
Or is he driving with somebody?And he said quiet? But Tom,
I don't know if I'm going FBut he was Adam, and who came

(08:31):
out with an F? I can'tgive It's hard to give an F.
So the reasons the player's got totake some accountability. Brian, Sorry,
yeah, no, no, no, the reason why I brought this up
and we can continue to talk aboutit seven one three two one two five,
seven ninety The Gray, the UAstros fans would give rookie manager Joe
a spota. You know what,I'll save it and I'll we'll talk about
the reason why I brought up thisdiscussion. That's next on Sports Talk seven ninety