While the rest of Major League Baseball goes up in flames due to unsavory revelations about sign stealing, the San Francisco Giants are actually making headlines for something positive.
Per MLB.com, the Giants added former college softball player Alyssa Nakken to their staff, making her the first woman in baseball history to hold a full-time coaching position in the major leagues with a big-league team.
A star at first base for Sacramento State, Nakken will travel with the team on a full-time basis and will throw batting practice and hit fungoes.
Nakken was not the only woman who was considered to be added to new manager Gabe Kapler’s coaching staff as the team also interviewed Rachel Balkovec, who ended up being hired by the Yankees to serve as a hitting coach in the minors.
Mark Hallberg, who played in the minors for five seasons and managed Class A Salem-Keizer last year, is also joining the Giants.
“Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the organization and I’m delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse,” Kapler said in a statement. “In every organization, environment affects performance, and baseball clubhouses are no different. That’s why in addition to assisting the rest of the coaching staff on the field, Mark and Alyssa will focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team.”
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
