The New York Yankees have made history by hiring Rachel Balkovec as the first full-time woman hitting coach.
The New York Yankees are no strangers to history and have accomplished another first by hiring Rachel Balkovec. They are the first MLB club to have a full-time female hitting coach. The great thing is Balkovec is no stranger to making history.
She was the first full-time female strength and conditioning coach when the St.Louis Cardinals hired her back in 2014. This is something baseball needs to embrace more and more. There are plenty of well-qualified females who should be involved in the game of baseball.
I have to hand it to the Yankees, this is a good move. She is the right person for the job and the situation. I normally don’t have much good to say about the Yankees, but this is a different story.
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This is something we are seeing more and more of in sports, like Becky Hammon in the NBA with the Spurs. Now Balkovec hasn’t reached that level yet as Hammon is a full-fledged assistant coach with the Spurs, but we’re getting there.
It will be interesting to see how the players react to her in Spring training as the hitting coach. Now her role will be a roving minor league instructor, so eventually she’ll get to where she is the full-time hitting coach.
I really think we need to see more of this. She is someone who can bring a new perspective to the game of baseball and it is something the game desperately needs at this moment. The game is struggling to attract younger viewers and a new set of eyes on the product will be welcome.
I for one wish her nothing but success and hope to be able to see the day when there is a female bench coach, a female assistant coach, and even a female head coach. It may still take some time, but that is where we are headed and frankly, it is about darn time.