The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport
(TIDES) at Central Florida gave baseball a C for
gender hiring in its most recent diversity report,
which was issued last April, down one point
from the previous year to 70. But MLB is hoping
a hiring spree over the winter is a sign that its
Diversity Pipeline Program is working.
Alyssa Nakken became the first female coach
on a major league staff when she was named
an assistant under new San Francisco Giants
manager Gabe Kapler. Folden got a job with the
Cubs as their lead hitting lab tech and fourth
coach for rookie-level Mesa. Rachel Balkovec
was hired as a minor league hitting coach with
the New York Yankees.
Veronica Alvarez worked with the Oakland
Athletics during spring training for the
second straight year, and Christina Whitlock
was hired as a minor league coach with the
St. Louis Cardinals.
“I’m here for a reason,” Nakken said. “I’m here to
make an impact. People are free to think what
they want to think, but it goes back to that sense
of responsibility. I’m going to come in and grind
and hustle and work extremely hard.”
Nakken, Folden, Balkovec, Alvarez and
Whitlock have connections to Take The Field, a
development program at the winter meetings
that is designed to incorporate women into the
baseball operations pipeline.
“At Take The Field, we have the opportunity to
really put some of the strongest female candidates
who are out there in front of staff from the clubs,”
said Liz Benn, senior coordinator of labor relations
and player programs for MLB. “This year we actually
had a bunch of staff reach out to us asking if they