MLB News: Rachel Balkovec Set to Be Baseball’s First Female Manager
The sport of baseball is going to have its first female manager. Rachel Balkovec will be skippering the Low-A Tampa Tarpons this coming season. The Tarpons are a minor league affiliate club of the New York Yankees.
During a remote press conference, Balkovec outlined her vision as a manager.
“My goal is to develop them as young men and young people who have an immense amount of pressure on them. My goal is to support the coaches who are on the staff — we’re going to be talking nuts and bolts of pitching and hitting with them and defense. It’s really just to be a supporter and to facilitate an environment where they can be successful and you just design the environment and let the rest take care of itself.”
This is not a token promotion. Balkovec has spent the better part of eight years in professional baseball.
Balkovec recently served as a minor league hitting coach for the Yankees. She also spent time with the Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals organizations as a strength and conditioning coach.
With the Yankees, Balkovec excelled in her ability to assist with the development of their minor league players.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hopes that one day, a female manager won’t be a headline.
“We look forward to the days where these are no longer newsworthy items.”
The hiring of Balkovec is a historic moment in a traditionalist sport.
Who knows? We might not be that far off from the first female skipper in the majors.
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