Women’s Equality Day: Celebrating Women In Baseball

Women’s Equality Day is today, and the goal of the #EmbraceEquality campaign is to start a conversation on why equal opportunities aren’t enough. In the sports world, especially baseball, women are just beginning to make significant and historical strides. In the 2021 Racial and Gender Report Card from the University of Central Florida, MLB received […]

The post Women’s Equality Day: Celebrating Women In Baseball first appeared on Metsmerized Online.

Women’s Equality Day is today, and the goal of the #EmbraceEquality campaign is to start a conversation on why equal opportunities aren’t enough. In the sports world, especially baseball, women are just beginning to make significant and historical strides. In the 2021 Racial and Gender Report Card from the University of Central Florida, MLB received a C grade for gender hiring, a stark difference compared to their F in 2020. From 2016 to 2020, the number of baseball operations jobs rose from 4,442 to 4,951, with 23.8% of those jobs going to women. A slow, but steady progress.

The Mets will host just their second annual Women’s Day when they take on the Angels on Saturday. Steve and Alex Cohen are part of a handful of owners making it their mission to be more inclusive in their hiring practices and ensure women are represented in baseball.

Below I have highlighted a few important women who have been pioneers throughout baseball.

Gretchen Aucoin, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

GRETCHEN AUCOIN

Hired by the Mets in February of 2022, Aucoin made history as the first female on-field coach in Mets history. Aucoin took the role of a Player Development Coach in the minor league system and was referred by her mentor, the aforementioned, Balkovec. A former collegiate and professional softball player, Aucoin currently acts as the Rehab Hitting Coach for the Florida Complex League Mets.

KIM NG

Possibly the most notable name on this list, Ng became the Marlins’ GM in 2020 and the first female general manager of any Big Four men’s franchise. She previously served as Assistant General Manager for the Yankees and Dodgers, winning three World Series titles during her tenure in the Bronx.

The move to Miami has been successful for Ng. She’s turned a non-competitive Marlins team into a post-season contender within a year and has been unafraid to make big moves, trading for reigning AL Batting Champion Luis Arráez, David Robertson, Jake Burger, Jorge López, and Josh Bell in 2023 alone. Ng’s arrival has created a new buzz around the Marlins and has brought hope back to Miami.

History.

Alyssa Nakken becomes the first woman to coach on the field in an MLB game after Antoan Richardson was ejected.

Eric Hosmer showed his appreciation ???? pic.twitter.com/RdGWKjfcnu

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 13, 2022

ALYSSA NAKKEN

Nakken started her career in the San Francisco Giants system as an intern in the baseball operations department. After working her way up, she became part of the Major League coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2020, becoming the first full-time female coach in league history. Making her mark once more, she became the first female to coach on the field during an MLB game when first base coach Antoan Richardson was ejected.

Manager Gabe Kapler noted, “Alyssa has all the skills of a person who can lead a major-league staff and a major-league team at some point.”

Rachel Balkovec wins her first game as Tampa Tarpons manager ???????????? pic.twitter.com/y6fZSJkixp

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 9, 2022

RACHEL BALKOVEC

Balkovec became the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate team when she was promoted as the skipper of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons. She began her MLB career with the Yankees in 2019 as a hitting coach, making her the first woman to hold the title in baseball on a full-time basis. Balkovec began her career in the Cardinals organization in 2012 as a strength and conditioning coach then took a similar role with the Astros in 2016.

The manager noted, “I had to do probably much more than maybe a male counterpart, but I like that because I’m so much more prepared for the challenges I might encounter.”

ELIZABETH BENN

The Mets made a historic hire before the 2022 season with Benn when they named her Director of Major League Operations. With this, Benn became the highest-ranking female in baseball operations in Mets history. Working closely with GM Billy Eppler, she helps oversee roster construction, overall management, and player transactions. Benn previously held positions in Major League Baseball headquarters, working with their youth programs and labor relations departments.

The Mets have announced that they will retire Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry's numbers next season.@mmargaux8, @AbbeyMastracco, and @SlangsOnSports react to the news on Mets Off Day Live: https://t.co/G5EGIVmfkC pic.twitter.com/S1j7icE51e

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 24, 2023

SARAH LANGS

A pioneer in more ways than one, Langs is best known now as a statistical whiz coming in clutch on ESPN’s coverage of Major League games. Born a Mets fan, Langs entered the baseball world in 2015 when she interned at SNY, then took a job at ESPN’s stats and information department right after graduating from the University of Chicago.

Sarah immediately got to work, impressing Buck Showalter and Aaron Boone, and quickly worked her way up the ladder with Karl Ravech becoming her mentor. Even with an ALS diagnosis, Langs continues to work around the clock searching for any interesting tidbit she can find along the way.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

JOAN PAYSON & ALEX COHEN

Payson co-founded the New York Mets in 1962 and became majority owner, making her the first woman in history to own a major league team in North America without inheriting it. She took an active role in the club while serving as team president from 1962-1975 and was an integral piece in bringing Willie Mays back to playing baseball in New York. Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1981, the Mets plan on honoring her with a video tribute to mark her historic accomplishments in Queens.

Mirroring Payson, the current co-owner, Alex Cohen brings the same energy Payson did when she owned the team. While not as actively involved in the day-to-day player operations as Payson was, Cohen has brought a similar but often overlooked spark to the team that husband and co-owner Steve has. However, Steve has received open praise for his work, and much of Alex’s, like Joan’s has gone unnoticed by fans. She revitalized the Amazin’ Mets Foundation as President, working closely with players and fans to serve the community on a variety of youth, health, wellness, and first responder programs.

While plenty of progress is still to be made, women have made major strides in baseball in just the past couple of years. Women will continue to make progress in MLB and it’ll be exciting to see what happens next.

The post Women’s Equality Day: Celebrating Women In Baseball first appeared on Metsmerized Online.