Rachel Balkovec, 34, began her coaching career in 2012 with the St. Louis Cardinals' Johnson City Tennessee minor-league affiliate as a strength and conditioning coach on a temporary contract. Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

Rachel Balkovec to become first female manager in MiLB history

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Jan 9, 2022 7:33 PM ET

Rachel Balkovec joined the New York Yankees minor-league system as a hitting coach in 2019. In 2022, she'll be making history and breaking barriers.

Sources: Rachel Balkovec, who joined the Yankees organization as a minor-league hitting coach in 2019, will serve as the manager for the Low A Tampa Tarpons next season.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) January 9, 2022

Balkovec, 34, began her coaching career in 2012 with the St. Louis Cardinals' Johnson City Tennessee minor-league affiliate as a strength and conditioning coach on a temporary contract. Balkovec earned the Appalachian League's award for strength coach of the year and was hired full-time for the position in 2014, becoming the first woman to hold that title.

Balkovec was hired as the Houston Astros' Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator in 2016, becoming the first woman to hold that role in MLB history as well. In 2018, she became the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks' strength and conditioning coach, before moving to, and working in the Netherlands as an assistant hitting coach in both baseball and softball.

The Omaha, Nebraska native was a catcher for both the Creighton and University of New Mexico softball teams before her coaching career began.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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