MLB: Women who are breaking barriers

It wasn’t too long ago that women with aspirations to work in the baseball world found themselves limited in the jobs they could realistically get.

But since a series of signings that took place in November 2019, many women have joined major league teams in nearly every area of ​​the sport, including some that were previously considered “man roles.”

Now, there are women working as coaches, scouts and team managers. There are also narrators, managers and general managers. They are hiring them simply because they are qualified. And everything indicates that this is just the beginning of more doors that will open for women interested in pursuing careers in baseball.

On National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, MLB celebrates women who have made their place in history, many of whom were the first in their fields of work. A timeline:

November 2019: Andrea Hayden, Twins
Andrea Hayden officially became a member of the Twins’ coaching staff in November 2019, when director of strength and conditioning Ian Kidish promoted her to assistant coach after a year as an intern during the 2019 season. first strength and conditioning coach for a major league team in history.

Nov. 22, 2019: Rachel Folden, Cubs
When Rachel Folden first met with the Cubs’ front office, the interview alone served as evidence that the idea that baseball and softball had to be kept conceptually separate was outdated. A swing is a swing, and that philosophy led the Cubs to hire Folden as head of the hitting technology lab and fourth coach for the Mesa club, rookie division.

Nov. 22, 2019: Rachel Balkovec, Yankees
Rachel Balkovec first made history when she was hired by the Yankees as a traveling instructor, with the responsibility of working with hitters on various teams in the organization. This was the first of two significant hires for Balkovec, who a few years earlier had changed her name to “Rae” on her résumé in hopes that a more ambiguous name would help her get more teams to answer her calls for open positions. for coaches.

Nov. 25, 2019: Eve Rosenbaum, Orioles
The flurry of historic signings in November 2019 extended to the Orioles, who added Eve Rosenbaum to their board as director of baseball development, a new role. The move made Rosebaum the highest-ranking woman in the organization.

Jan. 16, 2020: Alyssa Nakken, Giants
The biggest signing at the time came in early 2020, when Alyssa Nakken became the first female coach on a major league team. Nakken had worked for the Giants since 2014, first as an intern in the baseball operations department. He also worked on projects related to the draft, international operations and the player development department before joining the coaching staff.

Nov. 13, 2020: Kim Ng, Marlins
At the end of the 2020 season, the Marlins made history when they hired veteran MLB manager Kim Ng as their general manager. She is the first female GM of any men’s team in one of the four major American sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL) and the first woman of Asian descent to lead a team’s baseball operations department.

Jan. 4, 2021: Bianca Smith, Red Sox
When the Red Sox hired Bianca Smith as their minor league coach, she became the first African-American woman in a coaching role in professional baseball history. He began his Red Sox career at the player development complex in Fort Myers, Florida, and has worked primarily with position players.

Jan. 24, 2021: Sara Goodrum, Brewers
The Brewers named Sara Goodrum as their minor league hitting coordinator, a promotion many believe made her the first woman in that role for a major league organization. She oversaw the Brewers’ hitting program throughout the organization and served as chief hitting coach for the club’s various affiliates.

March 9, 2021: Amelia Schimmel, A’s
Shortly before the start of Spring Training, the A’s announced a historic club hire: They named Oakland-born Amelia Schimmel as the in-house announcer for all home games at the Coliseum. She is the first female internal announcer in the history of the ninth.

March 20-May 9, 2021: Beth Mowins, Cubs
Veteran broadcaster Beth Mowins called a Cubs game in the Cactus League in March 2021. It was the first time in club history that a woman played that role. A few months later, he made regular-season history again by serving as the announcer for the Marquee Sports Network for the Cubs’ weekend games against the Pirates.

June 2, 2021: Jillian Geib, Rockies
Jillian Geib was the official scorer for the Reds’ 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Rockies on June 2, 2021, becoming the first woman to serve in that role. Gein is believed to be the fourth female official scorer in major league history, and the first since Marie-Claude Pelland served in that role with the Blue Jays from 2015-17.

July 19, 2021: First women-only MLB telecast
On July 19, when the Rays and Orioles took the field in St. Petersburg, the first all-women broadcast team was in charge of MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube. Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner hosted the pre- and post-game shows, while Sarah Langs (analyst), Melanie Newman (narration) and Alanna Rizzo (reporter) hosted the game broadcast.

July 27, 2021: Catie Griggs, Mariners
The Mariners’ extensive search for a new president of baseball operations last summer concluded with the hiring of Catie Griggs, who had just spent the last four years as chief executive officer of Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United team.

Aug. 21, 2021 – Angie Mentink, Mariners
The Mariners also made history in the broadcast booth. When Angie Mentink took the microphone with Aaron Goldsmith before the game against Houston, she became the first woman to serve as commentators for a Mariners television broadcast.

Dec. 1, 2021: Sara Goodrum, Astros
Goodrum, who made history as the traveling hitting coach in the Brewers’ minor league system, left the Milwaukee organization in December to become one of the highest-ranking female executives in baseball, as director of player development. of the Astros.

Dec. 16, 2021: Chanda Lawdermilk, Rays
In December, the Rays named Chanda Lawdermilk vice president of baseball operations. Previously, Lawdermilk was the club’s director of staff development and recruitment. Lawdermilk became the first woman to reach the vice president level in the baseball operations department of the Tampa Bay Ninth.

December 22, 2021 – Caitlyn Callahan, Pirates
The Pirates ended 2021 with the hiring of Caitlyn Callahan as a developmental coach. Callahan will be based at the Pirate City facility in Bradenton, Florida. It is the first time a female instructor will uniform for the Pirates in team history.

Jan. 10, 2022: Jaime Vieira, Blue Jays
Jaime Vieira will become the first woman to serve as a coach in the Blue Jays organization, after the club hired her on January 10 as minor league hitting coach, ahead of the 2022 campaign. From 2021, Viera began working in the Blue Jays’ baseball operations department in February 2021.

Jan. 12, 2022: Rachel Balkovec, Yankees
Balkovec took another huge step forward with a historic second assignment within the Yankees organization when she was named manager of the Class A Lower Tampa Tarpons. The promotion came a little more than a year after she became the Yankees’ minor league hitting coach.

Jan. 26, 2022: Katie Krall, Red Sox
When the Red Sox hired Katie Krall as player development coach at Double-A Portland, they became the first major league organization with two female coaches — Krall and Bianca Smith. A few days after the announcement, Krall participated in a minicamp for 28 Boston prospects in Fort Myers, Fla., the team’s spring home.

January 2022: Jasmine Dunston, White Sox
The White Sox recently hired Jasmine Dunston as director of minor league operations. His first baseball job was as a specialist in the Reds’ player development department a year ago.