It wasn’t that long ago when women who had aspirations to work in baseball had limited options as to what jobs were realistically available to them.
But ever since a flurry of hires that took place in November 2019, scores of women have been appointed by Major League teams in nearly every area of the sport, including those previously considered “male” roles.
Women have been appointed as coaches, scouts and executives. They’re broadcasters, managers and general managers. They’re being hired simply for being qualified. And, in all likelihood, this is only the beginning of more doors opening for women in pursuit of careers in baseball.
In observance of National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, MLB celebrates the many women who have carved out a place in history, many of whom are “firsts” in their field. A timeline:
November 2019: Andrea Hayden, Twins
Andrea Hayden officially became a member of the Twins’ coaching staff in November 2019, when strength and conditioning director Ian Kadish promoted her to assistant coach following a year-long fellowship during the 2019 season. That made her the first female strength and conditioning coach for a Major League team in history. More >
Nov. 22, 2019: Rachel Folden, Cubs
When Rachel Folden first met with the Cubs’ front office, the interview alone was evidence that the idea that baseball and softball are to be kept separate conceptually was outdated. A swing is a swing, and that philosophy led to the Cubs hiring Folden as a lead hitting lab tech and fourth coach for Rookie League Mesa. More >
Nov. 22, 2019: Rachel Balkovec, Yankees
Rachel Balkovec’s first history-making appointment arrived when she was hired by the Yankees as a roving instructor, assigned to work with hitters throughout the organization. This was the first of two significant hires involving Balkovec, who just a few years earlier changed her name to “Rae” on her resume with hopes the more ambiguous first name would lead to teams taking her calls inquiring about coaching openings. More >
Nov. 25, 2019: Eve Rosenbaum, Orioles
The flurry of historic hires in November 2019 extended to the Orioles, who added Eve Rosenbaum to their front office as the director of baseball development, a new role. The hire made Rosenbaum the highest-ranking female executive in the organization. More >
Jan. 16, 2020: Alyssa Nakken, Giants
The biggest hiring splash at that time arrived early in 2020, when Alyssa Nakken became the first female Major League coach. Nakken had worked for the Giants since ’14, first as an intern in the baseball operations department. She also worked on projects relating to the Draft, international operations and player development prior to joining the coaching staff. More >
Nov. 13, 2020: Kim Ng, Marlins
At the conclusion of the 2020 season, the Marlins made history when they named longtime MLB executive Kim Ng their general manager. She is the first woman GM of any professional men’s team in major North American sports, and first woman of Asian descent to lead a club’s baseball operations. More >
Jan. 4, 2021: Bianca Smith, Red Sox
When the Red Sox hired Bianca Smith as a Minor League coach, she became the first Black woman to serve as a coach in the history of professional baseball. She started her Red Sox career based at the club’s player development facility in Fort Myers, Fla., and worked mainly with position players. More >
Jan. 29, 2021: Sara Goodrum, Brewers
The Brewers named Sara Goodrum as their Minor League hitting coordinator, a promotion believed to make her the first woman ever to hold that job for a big league organization. She oversaw the Brewers’ hitting program throughout the organization and managed the hitting coaches at the team’s affiliates. More >
March 9, 2021: Amelia Schimmel, A’s
Shortly after the start of Spring Training, the A’s announced their own history-making hire: they tabbed Oakland native Amelia Schimmel as their new public address announcer for all home games at the Oakland Coliseum, making her the first PA announcer in club history. More >
March 20 and May 9, 2021: Beth Mowins, Cubs
Veteran broadcaster Beth Mowins called a Cubs Cactus League game in March 2021, marking the first time in club history that a woman handled the play-by-play duties. She marked another “first” a couple of months later, when she made regular-season history by serving as Marquee Sports Network’s play-by-play voice for the Cubs’ Mother’s Day weekend games against the Pirates. More >
June 2, 2021: Jillian Geib, Rockies
Jillian Geib served as the official scorer in the Rockies’ 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Rangers on June 2, 2021, becoming the first woman in Rockies history to fill that role. Geib is believed to be the fourth female official scorer in MLB history, and the first since Marie-Claude Pelland served in the role with the Blue Jays from 2015-17. More >
July 19, 2021: First all-female MLB broadcast crew
On July 19, as the Rays and Orioles took the field in St. Petersburg, Major League Baseball’s first all-women broadcast team had the call for MLB’s Game of the Week Live on YouTube. Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner served as co-hosts for the pre- and postgame shows, with Sarah Langs (analyst), Melanie Newman (play-by-play) and Alanna Rizzo (reporter) handling game broadcast duties. More >
July 27, 2021: Catie Griggs, Mariners
The Mariners’ extensive search for a new president of business operations last summer concluded with the hiring of Catie Griggs, who had spent the past four years as the chief business officer for Atlanta United of Major League Soccer. The Mariners’ hiring of Griggs concluded a three-month process that was monitored by a 12-member panel. More >
Aug. 31, 2021: Angie Mentink, Mariners
The Mariners made history in the broadcast booth, too. When Angie Mentink took the microphone alongside Aaron Goldsmith before Seattle’s matchup with Houston, she became the first woman to serve as a color commentator for a Mariners telecast. More >
Dec. 1, 2021: Sara Goodrum, Astros
Goodrum, who first made history as a Brewers’ roving Minor League hitting coordinator, left that organization in December to come one of the highest-ranking female executives in baseball, as director of player development for the Astros. More >
Dec. 16, 2021: Chanda Lawdermilk, Rays
Among a flurry of Rays promotions in December was the appointment of Chanda Lawdermilk as vice president of baseball operations, from her previous role as director of staff development and recruiting. Lawdermilk became the first woman to reach the VP level in the Rays’ baseball operations department. More >
Dec. 22, 2021: Caitlyn Callahan, Pirates
The Pirates closed out 2021 with the hiring of Caitlyn Callahan as a development coach, based out of its Pirate City complex in Bradenton, Fla. The hiring marked the first time the Pirates will have an in-uniform female coach. More >
Jan. 10, 2022: Jaime Vieira, Blue Jays
Jaime Vieira will become the first woman in a coaching role in the Blue Jays’ organization, after the club hired her on Jan. 10 to be a Minor League hitting coach, ahead of the 2022 season. Vieira was most recently working in the Blue Jays’ baseball operations department as a research and development intern, a position she held since February 2021. More >
Jan. 12, 2022: Rachel Balkovec, Yankees
Balkovec took another giant leap forward with a second history-making appointment within the Yankees organization, when she was named manager of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons. The promotion arrived just a little over a year after she first became a Yankees Minor League hitting coach. More >
Jan. 26, 2022: Katie Krall, Red Sox
When the Red Sox hired Katie Krall as a player development coach at Double-A Portland, they became the first MLB organization to have two female coaches — Krall and Bianca Smith. Krall hit the ground running just a few days after the Sox’s announcement in Fort Myers, Fla., participating in the team’s 2022 Winter Warm-up, a minicamp for 28 Boston prospects. More >
January 2022: Jasmine Dunston, White Sox
The Sox recently hired Jasmine Dunston as their director of Minor League operations. According to a Sun-Times report, Dunston, the daughter of retired Major Leaguer Shawon Dunston, received a master’s degree in sports administration from Valparaiso. Her first baseball job was as a specialist in the Reds’ player development department a year ago. More >