San Francisco Giants Hire First-Ever Female Coach in MLB History
The San Francisco Giants slid their way into baseball history this week as they brought on the major league’s first-ever, full-time female coach.
On Thursday, Former Sacramento State softball player Alyssa Nakken was named a major league assistant coach for the Giants, along with fellow new hire Mark Hallberg, bringing the team’s total number of coaches up to 13, NBC Sports reported. MLB confirmed Nakken is the first woman to be hired as a coach for the big leagues.
In an MLB press release, Giants manager Gabe Kapler shared his excitement for the new coaches, calling the two “highly respected members of the organization.”
“I’m delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse,” he said.
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Kapler explained that Nakken and Hallberg will be responsible for “fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team.”
Nakken — a four-time Academic All American softball player — first started working with the Giants as a baseball operations intern in 2014. According to the release, in her previous role, Nakken was responsible for tasks relating to the amateur draft and player development.
Her most recent job entailed “developing, producing and directing a number of the organization’s health and wellness initiatives and events, including coordinating the Giant Race series,” the release explained.
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The 29-year-old also currently chairs the San Francisco Giants’ Women’s Network “Momentum” — an employee resource group that “celebrates and promotes diversity and equity within the organization” — and was nominated and co-awarded with the 2019 Sprinkles of Love Award, named after late front-office employee Anita Sprinkles, last month.
Nakken additionally has her master’s in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco and a B.S. from Sacramento State University.
