The Jupiter Hammerheads announce new manager for 2022 season

JUPITER – The Jupiter Hammerheads will be led by a new manager for the 2022 season. On Thursday, the Miami Marlins announced Ángel Espada will serve as the Hammerheads' 13th manager in team history.

Coincidentally, Espada has spent 13 seasons within the Marlins organization. The 46-year-old started as a hitting coach for the GCL Marlins in 2009 and most recently managed the DSL Marlins in 2021.

Following his start in the GCL, Espada was promoted to the then Triple-A affiliate New Orleans Zephrys and served as their hitting coach. The New Jersey native’s next stop was the New York-Penn League and the Jamestown Jammers, where he worked as the hitting coach in 2011 and manager the following year. In his first full season as manager, Espada finished 35-40.

From 2013-2016, Espada managed the organization’s Short Season affiliate Batavia Muckdogs. After four years at the helm, Espada won 126 games with the Muckdogs and finished with the fourth-most wins in team history. After Batavia, he became a defensive coach for the Class-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. Espada returned to the manager’s role in 2019 with the DSL Marlins.

Before coaching, Espada was a two-time Atlantic League batting champion. In the 1994 amateur draft, the then 19-year-old was drafted by the Altana Braves and played in organized baseball until 1998. For the next decade, Espada shined in the Atlantic League. The righty finished his Atlantic League career with 859 hits and a .311 batting average.

Hammerheads’ 2021 manager Jorge Hernandez will serve as the manager for the High-A affiliate Beloit Sky Carp in 2022.

The Jupiter Hammerheads will announce their full 2022 coaching staff at a later time.

The 25th season of Hammerheads baseball kicks off on April 8th when they host the neighboring Palm Beach Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Tickets for the 2022 season are on sale now, and can be bought HERE.