Yankees' Balkovec becomes 1st woman to manage minor-league team
The New York Yankees made a groundbreaking hire Sunday, naming Rachel Balkovec as manager of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons for the 2022 season, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Balkovec will become the first woman to manage an affiliated minor-league club, according to Baseball America's JJ Cooper.
The 34-year-old native of Omaha, Nebraska, joined the Yankees organization as a minor-league hitting coach in 2019, becoming the first woman to fill a role of that kind in the process. Before joining the Yankees, Balkovec previously served in strength and conditioning positions with the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros.
The former collegiate softball catcher also has several master's degrees, experience working in the Netherlands with the Dutch national baseball teams, and studied hitting and pitching mechanics at Driveline Baseball.
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