Dodgers: Rachel Balkovec to be Baseball's First Female Manager
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The first female baseball manager in history has been hired. Rachel Balkovec will manage the Low-A Tampa Tarpons this season. The Tarpons are part of the New York Yankees organization.
During a remote press conference, Balkovec explained what her managerial approach will be.
“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 publicity stunt for the Yankees (as if they needed one). Balkovec has has been working in MLB organizations for the better part of a decade.
Balkovec recently served as a minor league hitting coach for the Yankees. She held positions with the Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals organizations as a strength and conditioning coach.
As minor league coach for the Yankees, Balkovec had to develop strong relationships with the players. Those relationships allowed Balkovec to work closely with the players and help them improve on a daily basis.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had this to say when asked about Balkovec's new position.
“We look forward to the days where these are no longer newsworthy items.”
The hiring of Balkovec is a big moment in a sport with a rigid, traditionalist history.
