The San Francisco Giants may not have had their best seasons the last few years, but they’ve just crushed the off-season by hiring Major League Baseball’s first full-time female coach Alyssa Nakken. Nakken, who has been working with the team on its health and wellness initiatives, joined the Giants in 2014 as an intern. She is a former softball star from Sacramento State and is MLB’s first full-time female coach in history. She also has a master’s degree in sports management from University of San Francisco. Giants Manager Gabe Kepler also announced the hiring of coach Mark Halberg, who has the unfortunate privilege of being hired by the Giants the same day as the first full-time female coach in history.
Nakken is not the first female coach in the majors, but she is the first hired in a full-time position. Slowly but slowly, Major League Baseball is stepping up and hiring more women in management and coaching positions. Kim NG, who served as the assistant GM for the Dodgers, is the Senior VP of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball. She was the highest ranking woman in baseball, until the Red Sox hired Raquel Ferreira as its SVP.
But with women making headway in the front office and coaching staff it begs the question, when will see women on the field? In 2017 French baseball player Melissa Mayeaux became the first female eligible to play Major League Baseball. She is currently a shortstop for Montpellier Université Club of the French Championship. Maybe the Giants can lead the way here, too, and sign her as a player.
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