We’ve all heard the terms diversity and equality, especially in recent years. Women have been playing baseball basically as long as men have; just not at the Major League level as we know it today. Women’s historic connection to the game began in the 1860s with pioneers of women’s baseball; like Amanda Clement, Jackie Mitchell, Alta Weiss, Edith Houghton, Toni Stone, Maria Pepe and it continues today with these pioneers in ownership, radio and television, coaches, managers and executives. This is the second part of a three part series, you can read part 1 here.
More influential women, Marge Schott more infamous than influential but Schott was know for her ownership of the Cincinnati Reds from 1984-1999, Schott was banned from operating the team in 1993 for racist remarks about players, and again banned in 1996 for two years, she was a known supporter of German domestic policies and Nazism. These beliefs brought about her selling her majority share of the team in 1999.
Jessica Mendoza, ESPN Analyst. Jessica Mendoza joined ESPN in 2007 and in 2015, Jessica became the first woman to serve as an analyst for nationally televised MLB games. She has since become one of the leading voices for ESPN and Major League Baseball. She also served as an analyst in ESPN’s exclusive English language KBO League coverage for the 2020 regular season.
Justine Siegal Hitting coach Oakland A’s, Siegal made history being hired in 2015 to be a hitting instructor of the Oakland Instructional League. Siegal has extensive experience working in men’s baseball. In the spring of 2011, she threw batting practice for the A’s, Indians, Rays, Cardinals, Astros and Mets. Siegal tweeted – “It is not about being the “first” or the “only”… it’s about creating a pathway for the girls coming up.”
Bianca Smith, coach, Red Sox Minor League affiliate became a coach on Jan. 4, 2021, it made her the first Black woman to serve as a coach in professional baseball history. Smith was a former college softball player with Dartmouth, she was previously the assistant coach and hitting coordinator at Carroll University in Wisconsin, a role she held since 2018.
Rachel Balkovec, Manager, She became the first manager in an MLB affiliated team after being hired to manage the Tampa Tarpons in 2022. Tarpons are the Single A team of the Yankees, Prior to landing that role, Balkovec was already a rising star in the Yankees organization as the hitting coach for their Florida Complex League team. When she was hired for that position in December of 2019, she became the first full time female hitting coach in a Major League organization. SEE YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE FOR BALKOVEC INTERVIEW:
Sara Goodrum, executive. In January 2022, Goodrum became the first female hitting coordinator in affiliated Minor League history when the Milwaukee Brewers when they hired her for that position in 2021. Her role with the Houston Astros was to oversee player development, and collaborate with coordinators on the core duties of the recruiting, hiring and development of players.
Jean Afterman – Yankees assistant general manager, definitely one I am familiar with and pleased with the job she has done, working under Brian Cashman and for the Steinbrenner family has to be very challenging to say the least. Afterman was most known for going to Japan and getting Hideki Matsui to come to NY. George Steinbrenner told her: “You go East,” she recalls Steinbrenner warning. “But if you don’t come back with him, you keep heading East. Don’t ever turn around.”
Jean came back with Hideki Matsui alright, and he became very popular with the Yankee faithful and went on to win a World Series in 2009 and the WS MVP. She was asked if she ever wanted a higher position in baseball, she claimed she was happy where she was at.
Kim Ng, executive, Ng became the first female GM in November 2020, she was hired to run the Miami Marlins. Ng came to the Marlins with lots of experience in baseball, having worked in front office with the White Sox (1990-96) Yankees (1998-2001) and Dodgers (2002-11) *winning 3 World Series championships*
These are the modern day women in baseball. They are singing “anything you can do I can do better,” and they are blazing their own trails from first base to home.
Photo Credit; World Baseball Softball Confederation, Sports Illustrated, Think Blue LA. The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Lifestyle Media Group
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