‘Competitive, Capable, Aggressive’: Yankees Make History With Rachel Balkovec Hire
Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 06:39PM NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
January 12, 2022: The New York Yankees, no strangers to making baseball history, did it again today, hiring Rachel Balkovec to manage the Low-A Tampa Tarpons.
Balkovec becomes the first female manager in affiliated professional baseball, according to MLB.
“The first word that comes to mind is gratitude,” Balkovec said during a video media call on the Yankees Web site.
“This is really nothing new for the Yankees. They have been progressive for a long time. And that has led to a lot of success.
“I’m thinking back to my days with the St. Louis Cardinals when I was hired as a strength and conditioning coach and there were no women around.
“And I’m thinking about my parents, who raised me to be a competitive athlete regardless of being a woman or a man. Competitive, capable and aggressive.”
Balkovec, 34, was serving as a hitting coach in the organization's rookie-level Florida Complex League.
She has been a coach in professional baseball for ten years.
She joined the Yankees organization in November 2019 as a minor league hitting coach, becoming the first woman to be named to that role in the history of professional baseball.
Balkovec was also the first woman to be hired as a full-time strength and conditioning coach in affiliated baseball.
Balkovec began her professional baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 as a minor league strength and conditioning coaching intern. She also worked with the Chicago White Sox during the 2013-14 off-season as a strength and conditioning coaching intern.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I congratulate Rachel on this historic milestone,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said via the league.
“As manager of the Tampa Tarpons, she will continue to demonstrate her expertise and leadership in the Yankees’ organization. We wish Rachel well in this new capacity and appreciate her mentorship to the growing network of women in baseball operations and player development roles."
According to Manfred, “When Kim Ng was hired as the general manager of the (Miami) Marlins prior to the 2021 season, it was a meaningful step forward. I am pleased to see the game continue to make important progress at various levels.”
Ng was the Yankees assistant GM from 1998-2001, then joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in that same role (2002-11) before being hired by the Marlins.
“Major League Baseball is committed to providing a supportive environment for women and girls to pursue our sport as players, coaches, umpires and executives," said Manfred.
“We are proud of Rachel, new director of player development Sara Goodrum of the Astros and all the women across our sport who are setting a positive example for our next generation of fans and proving, on and off the field, that baseball is a game for everyone.”
The Tarpons play in Georgie M. Steinbrenner Field.
Photo: New York Yankees
Back to Home Page