Astros Make Decision on Major League Bench Coach

The Houston Astros will look different this year without Dusty Baker. Dusty decided to retire and the Astros hired Joe Espada to replace him. Espada spent the past six seasons as a bench coach, which meant Houston needed to hire a new bench coach.

That decision came on Tuesday as Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that Omar Lopez will be the next bench coach for the big league club.

Lopez has been with the organization for 25 years, spending the last four as the first-base coach. He spent 12 years as a minor-league manager.

During his time with the organization, Lopez has been applauded for what he's done. He's won the Astros Player Development Man of the Year award, Texas League Manager of the Year award, and was named the Manager of the Year in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

In his baseball career, Omar played three seasons of Minor League baseball. His time was spent with the Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Jose Altuve and others on the Astros have long praised Lopez for the person and coach he is. Altuve and Lopez met in Venezuela 15-plus years ago when Altuve was a 16-year-old kid. Omar was in the room while scouts negotiated Jose's $15,000 signing bonus.

For Houston, they keep around a well-respected face in their clubhouse and someone who's familiar with the team. With a new manager, it's important to keep coaches around who have been with the team. Lopez gives them exactly that as they try to get back to the top and win a World Series in 2024.