consulting deal and he goes, ‘Hey, I got the job
with the Cubs,’” Folden recalled. “I knew he was
interviewing for it. He goes, ‘I got the job,’ and he
goes, ‘I want you to come work with me.’”
Stone recommended Folden for an interview.
Matt Dorey, senior director of player development
for the Cubs, said the team was impressed.
“We needed to acquire talent that understood
a lot of the data-driven initiatives that we were
trying to implement,” Dorey said, “and she was a
champion in that field.”
Folden said she has been treated like just
another coach with Chicago. She spent a lot of
time listening early on, looking to learn more
about the players and their processes.
“But they do come to me for an opinion every
once in a while and you have to be able to
provide that,” she said, “and then if it’s good
information, they don’t care, as long as it
helps them.”
Folden also is sharing her experiences with
other women around the game. She texts with
Balkovec, and she is in regular contact with
Jessica Mendoza after they played against each
other in pro softball.
When Balkovec started a fund for COVID-19
relief, Folden contributed and encouraged
others to join in the effort.
“A sisterhood if you will, I guess, that sounds so
cheesy, but that’s kind of what it is,” Folden said.
“Where we can get put in touch with each other
and it’s like we have this common ground. We
can talk to each other as if we already know each
other, so it’s been super helpful to just have that
interaction with these women for sure.”