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From Pelicans to the Big Leagues: Managers Reflect on Pensacola Roots
The Astros and Mets managers revisited the city that helped launch their careers, expressing gratitude for the opportunities they received.
- Joe Espada and carlos Mendoza both played for the Pensacola Pelicans in the early 2000s.
- The managers credit the Studer family and the Pelicans organization for providing crucial opportunities.
- Hundreds of fans from the Astros, mets, and Blue Wahoos gathered to celebrate the managers’ success.
- Quint Studer believes their success could help bring affiliated baseball back to Pensacola.
The event drew hundreds of baseball enthusiasts, including fans of the Astros, Mets, and the current Double-A affiliate, the Blue Wahoos, who temporarily set aside their rivalries to honour the two managers.”I’m a huge astros fan. My first astros game was in the Astrodome,” said Wayne Allen. “And to get to see an possibility to visit with Joe is just, you know, pretty astonishing.”
What role did the Pensacola Pelicans play in the careers of Joe Espada and Carlos Mendoza? The Pensacola Pelicans provided a vital stepping stone for both managers, offering them a chance to develop their skills and gain experience in the early 2000s.
“Man, it just brings back so many good memories, you know,” Mendoza said during the event. “Just to be back here in Pensacola, grateful, looking back to when we were here as a player. And now, 20 years later, me and Joe, big league managers.” Both managers emphasized the importance of the Studer family, who owned the Pelicans, and the host family they stayed with during their time in Pensacola.
“If it wasn’t because of the Pelicans,because of the Studer family,the host family that we had here,we wouldn’t be in this spot,” Mendoza added. The pair shared a host family while playing for the Pelicans and later advanced through the ranks of major and minor league baseball.
Espada was the bench coach for the Astros when they won the World Series title in 2022. “This place shaped our careers and we will not be in this position without the people from Pensacola,” Espada said. “So we want to come back here and spend some time with them.”
The Q&A session was hosted by Dan Shugart,former sports director for WEAR.Quint Studer, the former owner of the Pelicans, highlighted the significance of Espada and Mendoza’s achievements for the city.”There’s only 30 managers in the whole world and two of them played for the Pelicans,” Studer said. “I think when we started, and we bought the Pelicans in 2002, we never envisioned having the Blue Wahoos or
