Bretón: A first for MLB as Giants hire female coach
From Marcos Bretón at the Sacramento Bee on January 16, 2020:
The San Francisco Giants made a historic hire on Thursday, adding former Sacramento State softball star Alyssa Nakken to their major league coaching staff. While women have begun serving on coaching staffs in the NFL and NBA, and the New York Yankees recently hired Rachel Balkovec to be a minor league hitting coach, Nakken is believed to be the first woman named to a big league coaching staff.
Nakken, 29, is considered to be one of the best softball players to suit up at Sacramento State. She was a three-time All Conference player, played first, and also excelled in the classroom. In her senior year in 2012, Nakken was named Scholar Athlete of the Year in her conference.
Nakken wants to wait to do interviews until she has settled into her job. But her boss – Giants manager Gabe Kapler – said by phone from Arizona that Nakken will be working with Giants players on base running. She will throw batting practice. She will work with all the coaches on the technical aspects of the game while also working to help create unity and cohesion on a team full of new faces.
Read the full article here: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article239366408.html
Originally published: January 17, 2020. Last Updated: January 17, 2020.