History has a chance to be made in Major League Baseball with the possibility of the first female manager, as Alyssa Nakken has been interviewed for the position with the San Francisco Gaints. The Giants, who recently fired their old manager, Gabe Kepler, are one of many teams looking for a replacement.
This decision came after the team finished out the season in a disappointing fashion, going 79-83 and finishing fourth in the National League West after being in playoff contention for most of the season. The Giants are now in the hunt for a new manager, and out of all the candidates who have emerged as possible options, there is one in particular that stands out, Nakken.
Currently the team’s assistant coach, Nakken, was hired by the Giants in 2020, becoming the first woman to coach for an MLB team. Kepler held the manager position for the team for nearly four years and worked hand-in-hand with Nakken.
Her job as a coach on the team is to focus on in-game planning, base running and outfield obstruction, according to MLB Trade Rumors. According to CBS Sports, Nakken was also the first woman to become a base coach in 2022 after the ejection of the first baseman coach.
Before she became a baseball coach, Nakken played first base at California State University, Sacramento, for four years. She was named to the All-Pacific Coast Softball Conference all four years. Nakken was also a three-time all-conference selection and the 2012 conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Nakken then went on to get her master’s in sports management from the University of San Francisco, where she first became an intern with the Giants in their operations department. From there, she worked her way up in the organization, making her way to the coaching position she has now.
With there being several other candidates for the manager position, like current bench coach Kai Correa and third base coach Mark Hallberg, Nakken has some competition.
According to ESPN, Nakken started her career in baseball when she started as an intern for baseball operations. Although she is the only female MLB coach, there are other women that are on minor league coaching staffs.
ESPN further explained that there are over a dozen female baseball coaches that work in the minor league. There is even a female manager that coaches for the New York Yankees’ low-affiliate team, Rachel Balkovec. Balkovec has been the manager for the team for two seasons, and according to Baseball Reference, her record as a manager is slightly below .500.
While Nakken has a coaching position with the team, some question if she is capable or ready to be the manager of the Giants.
“I think that the hire would be a big step for women,” said Cami Marcotte, a junior mass communication major. “I feel like the managerial position is in the air and that she has a good background in baseball. I think that hiring her would be huge for baseball — and for all of sports. I think that she would do a great job as a manager, but I do question her lack of playing the sport of baseball if it would ever become a problem in the near future.”
“I think if she gets chosen for the role, then I think that it would be the start of something new for the sport,” said Chase Sammon, a senior management information systems, or MIS, major. “I think that more women would be able to become a larger part of the game because of the gender barrier that she would be breaking.”
While Nakken may not get the position due to the other highly qualified competition, this is still a big step in the right direction that could lead her to this position in the near future.
