The New York Yankees grabbed the headlines this week after an exciting announcement.
They promote Rachel Balkovec from minor league coach to manager of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons.
In this way, Balkovec becomes the first female manager of a minor league branch.
Slowly, but surely, women are breaking down the barriers imposed by outdated societies and finding spaces in baseball (and the world of sports in general) that have always belonged to them.
Balkovec is 34 years old and joined the Yankees organization in 2019.
His background and his experience
She has roots in softball as she was a catcher in Creighton and New Mexico.
At the time, she was the first woman to hold a batting coach position in affiliate baseball.
She started working on MLB franchises at a young age: she was a minor league strength and conditioning coach in 2012 for the St. Louis Cardinals.
It has been a slow road from there, but the road has been traveled with determination.
She spent four years with the Cards and was later hired by the Houston Astros in 2016.
With the Astros, she was the strength and conditioning coordinator in Latin America.
She learned Spanish almost on her own, so that she could communicate with Latin players.
She was also the strength and conditioning trainer at Double-A Corpus Christi.
In 2018, she was involved in the Netherlands national baseball and softball teams.
Then she entered Driveline, a major baseball research and data center that serves as a training ground for many athletes.
In different interviews, she has said that she has to work “a lot more” than her male counterparts to prove her worth and open barriers for herself.
Break down barriers
She now sees herself as a role model and knows that there are a lot of responsibilities involved in running a baseball club.
“I want to be a visible idea for young women. I want to be a visible idea for dads who have daughters. I want to be there. I have two jobs, and that’s good, ”she said Wednesday in her presentation via Zoom.
Log on now to see Rachel Balkovec featured as the @TampaTarpons director for the coming season. Balkovec will be the first full-time female manager in the history of affiliate baseball at the major and minor league levels. https://t.co/qNcljr3qnZ
– Yankees de New York (@Yankees) January 12, 2022
Even MLB commissioner Rob Manfred praised Balkovec on his announcement as manager of the Tarpons.
Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement congratulating Rachel Balkovec: pic.twitter.com/Ya7UPQPBOI
-Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) January 12, 2022
Balkovec also said that one of his dreams is to someday manage an MLB team.
With hard work, maybe she can make this dream come true in a few years.
For now, the experience she can gain by managing the Tarpons will be very valuable from all points of view.
Some people have objected to the idea of a woman running a men’s baseball team, but Balkovec doesn’t care – she’s way too strong and determined to succeed for the comments not to affect her.
Now she’s tasked with making history and succeeding in her new role.
If she does, more and more women will follow her lead and seek opportunities in a historically sexist industry.
It’s time to break down barriers and fight for fair opportunities for those who deserve them, regardless of gender or orientation.
The Yankees are doing the right thing by giving Balkovec, who has been in baseball for more than a decade, the chance to prove his worth as a manager.
And thankfully, most of the baseball world has welcomed her with open arms to her new role.
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