Astros name ESPN’s Alex Cora as bench coach

It didn’t take long for the Houston Astros replace the departed bench coach Trey Hillman. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow announced on the team had hired Alex Cora as their bench coach.

From the Astros press release:

The 41-year old Cora, who is a native of Puerto Rico, played 14 years as a middle infielder in the Major Leagues (1998-2011), including time with six different organizations. Since his retirement from playing, Cora has served as a TV analyst for ESPN and ESPN Deportes dating back to 2013. He currently holds the General Manager post for the Criollos de Caguas, his hometown team in the Puerto Rican Winter League, and is also the GM for Puerto Rico’s club in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Originally from Caguas, PR, Cora attended the University of Miami before being drafted in the third round of the 1996 draft by the Dodgers.

Hillman accepted the managerial position of the SK Wyverns baseball club of the South Korean Professional Baseball League (KBO) earlier this offseason.