Yankees Minor League Manager Rachel Balkovec Outlines Goals for Career

Rachel Balkovec made history in January when she was officially named the manager for the Yankees’ Low-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons—making her the first woman to manage a team in the minor leagues. The trailblazer recently shared what goals she has but history doesn’t seem to be a priority for her. 

“The goal is just to get better, that’s it,” Balkovec told MyCentralJersey.com. “The goal for me, long-term, is to be a general manager. So, if I never climb above Tampa, then I don’t really care. I’ve never really said that it’s my goal to climb the minor league system and get to the big leagues, it’s more so just that I’m a generalist and I prefer to be a jack of all trades and master of none. That’s just how I operate, so I’m learning as much as I can here before I go on to my next step, whatever that may be.”

Balkovec sounds like getting to the majors isn’t a priority so much as it is just a byproduct of her success. But with anything worth doing, there will be struggles. Her squad finished the first half at a Florida State League-worst 27–39 and was plainly asked about her first season on the job and her struggles.

“It’s been difficult, as expected,” Balkovec said. “I think any time somebody asks that question, I think the canned answer would be, ‘Oh, it’s been great.’ But it’s been a learning process for me. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of support from the Yankees and thankfully a lot of support from the players. These are guys I had last year, and having their respect obviously helps a lot. I’m learning a lot of new things, which is never comfortable, but that’s not really what I’m after anyways. It’s just been a learning experience.”

No one thought history would be easy, especially Balkovec. 

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