New York Yankees Make Historical Hire

The New York Yankees, the most storied franchise in Major League Baseball, quietly made history again. This weekend, the Yankees announced their organizational charts for their coaching staff. For the first time in major league or minor league history for any team, a woman will be the Tampa Tarpons manager in 2022.

According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, 34 year old Rachel Balkovec will be the new Tarpons skipper. Balkovec had previously made news as the first woman to be named as a hitting coach in a major league organization. The Pinstripes made that move prior to the 2020 season.

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The new Tampa Tarpons manager told MLB.com, "I've been in the game for more than 10 years, so this is something that's been a long time coming. My first reaction was to make sure that this is something I have earned and that I'm getting it for the right reasons, not maybe just because of my gender."

Former WBNA star, Becky Hammon had been an assistant coach for Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs since 2014. In 2020, in a game against the Lakers, Popovich got tossed. He gave the reins to Becky Hammon. That was cool. If for only part of one game, a woman was coaching a team of men, just like in many of today's businesses. Hammon is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA. The Portland Trail Blazers considered her highly for their head coaching job this summer. Maybe someday she'll be back in the NBA as a head coach.

Yes, this is a Low A ball managerial assignment but it's cool. Plenty of girls love baseball and play right up until high school, where they are basically directed by society to excel at softball instead of baseball. Rachel and the New York Yankees may have just taken a big step towards the future of the baseball and the growing of the game.