Rachel Balkovec on negativity amid her new position as MiLB manager

Rachel Balkovec, the first woman to manage full-time in MLB’s version of the minor leagues, shares her thoughts on the negativity. “I want to be out there.”

Reem AbdalazemUpdate: Jan 12th, 2022 18:13 EST

MARK BROWNAFP

Revolutionary minor league baseball manager Rachel Balkovec has been named as the new manager for the New York Yankees’ Low-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons; Low-A affiliate is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball.

Rachel Balkovec is set to become the first female manager in Minor League Baseball history.Balkovec will serve as manager for the Tampa Tarpoons next season, the Low-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, per @lindseyadler. pic.twitter.com/1i4YmrObFL

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 10, 2022

On Wednesday, the 34-year-old held her first press conference since her promotion to the new position, and she is certainly looking to be “visible.”

Rachel Balkovec: "I don't think you sign your name on the dotted line to do something like this and say, 'I don't want to be a role model.' I want to be a visible idea. I want to be out there." #Yankees @TampaTarpons #YankeesZoomRoom pic.twitter.com/NxV0jpvaRE

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) January 12, 2022

During the virtual conference, Balkovec discussed how her journey has been, and what this position means to her now.

Who is Rachel Balkovec?

In 2012, Balkovec started her baseball career as a strength and conditioning coach with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Johnson City, Tenn., minor-league affiliate. While she was on a temporary contract, Balkovec’s hard work earned her the Appalachian League’s award for Strength Coach of the Year. She was then hired full-time for that same position in 2014, becoming the very first female to hold that title.

In 2016, the groundbreaking Balkovec was then hired as the Houston Astros’ Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator, becoming the first woman, once again, to have held that role in MLB history.

Fast forward two years, in 2018 Balkovec became the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks’ strength and conditioning coach before moving to the Netherlands to work as an assistant hitting coach in both baseball and softball. While it seems like Balkovec was having great progress, she certainly didn’t have it easy.

When asked how she dealt with the negativity and the discussion about her background and qualifications, she shared that she has been involved in baseball for 10 years, and she’s overcome a lot of challenges, including “sleeping on a mattress that she had pulled out of a dumpster in Amsterdam.”

“I think everybody can enjoy a piece of my story.” 

"If you know my story, and you have a pulse, it's pretty hard to not get behind what's going on here. The negativity, it's hilarious to me because this is the American Dream."Rachel Balkovec on her career: pic.twitter.com/yfHlKfRMxH

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) January 12, 2022

Before being promoted to her final position on Sunday, Balkovec joined the Yankees' minor-league system as a hitting coach in 2019. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement on Wednesday evening, celebrating Balkovec’s hiring:

“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I congratulate Rachel on this historic milestone. As manager of the Tampa Tarpons, she will continue to demonstrate her expertise and leadership in the Yankees’ organization.