Giants Hire First Full-Time Female Coach in MLB History in Alyssa Nakken
By Michael Luciano
San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler knew he would have to think outside of the traditional box if he wanted to avoid getting canned like he did in Philadelphia, and he has made one of the most impactful hires of the offseason to date.
The Giants hired Alyssa Nakker, a former All-Conference softball player at Sacramento State and a former intern in the Giants' baseball operations department, as an assistant under Kapler, making her the first full-time female coach in the history of baseball.
"Simply, I think she's going to be a great coach," Kapler said. "Merit and the ability to be a great coach trumps all."
Justine Siegal, who worked with the Oakland Athletics coaching staff in 2015, declared the hiring of Nakken as a moment that shattered a glass ceiling in the baseball coaching network.
If nothing else comes from Kapler's tenure in San Francisco, he has already acted as a bastion of diversity and going against the grain. Given her more than exemplary background, Nakken should be expected to be nothing short of a tremendous coach at the MLB level.