Giants Hire First Woman to Coach Full Time for MLB

In a week where the hottest topics in baseball were the fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing and the possibility that it included slightly more sophisticated technology than banging on trash cans, the San Francisco Giants' announcement of the final members of their 2020 coaching staff was a welcome diversion.

Alyssa Nakken, a former star of the Sacramento State softball team, will be the first woman in history to coach full time for a Major League Baseball team. Nakken, who holds a master's degree in sports management from University of San Francisco, will be an assistant coach.

She's not a newcomer to the Giants organization — she interned with the team in 2014 and since then has worked in several roles, directing health and wellness initiatives, including the annual "Giant Race."

While Nakken is the first woman to coach full time in the major leagues, the horsehide ceiling, so to speak, was first broken by Justine Siegal.

Siegal was hired in 2015 by the Oakland Athletics as a coach in their instructional league in Arizona and has been a batting practice pitcher for both the A's and Cleveland.

"When I first decided I wanted to be a coach, I told my coach I wanted to be like him, I wanted to coach college baseball," Siegal said. "He laughed at me. He said no man would listen to me on a ball field. And yet, here we are. Not only did I find out men will listen to me on a ball field, you have major leaguers who are gonna be listening to Alyssa."

Siegal founded and runs Baseball for All, a nonprofit that advocates for girls who want to play the game. She says Nakken's hiring is very significant.

"To have a woman in such a high position — there's girls all around the world dreaming that one day, that can be them," Siegal said. "It says a lot to where MLB's going. It's been a long road for many women who have been the only one on the field, or the only one in the scouting room, the GM's room."

Nakken and another new assistant coach, Mark Hallberg, will "focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team," according to the Giants' press release. That's led to some speculation that the new hires are less about baseball and more about image — both for MLB and a team that hasn't had much success in recent seasons. But Siegal said that in her experience, that's not how it works in professional baseball.

"What's important is the Giants think she's going to make their team better. That's what it boils down to. ... What really matters is, can you help the team win?" Siegal said. "Now, it'll probably take a little longer to show that she knows what she knows. With men, people just assume they know. Whereas with women, you have to show you know, and then you're accepted. And if she knows her job, she'll win people over."

Don't expect to see Nakken in the dugout during a game — MLB only allows teams to have seven uniformed coaches on the field once play begins, and the Giants have 13. She'll probably be in the clubhouse once the national anthem begins, but the Giants' new manager, Gabe Kapler, says he plans to have her throw batting practice and help fielders in their pregame warmups.

By the way, the magical date for fans of both the Giants and A's is Feb. 12 — that's when pitchers and catchers are to report to their spring training facilities in Arizona.

The first games in the Bay Area are the Bay Bridge preseason matches on March 23 and 24.