First Female Coach In MLB Continues To Make History

By: Staff

Alyssa Nakken, a woman who will go down in the history books. In 2020, Nakken became the first woman to have a full-time coaching position in MLB. She is coaching for the San Francisco Giants and has been a part of the franchise since 2014. Before holding the position as a full-time coach she worked with players as an outfield and base-running coach. 

Nakken has taken her job very seriously and understands that there are many young girls looking up to her. It’s not easy to enter a career that is completely male dominated.  “I feel it’s my job to honor those who have helped me get to where I am,” she told MLB.com. Nakken has been a trailblazer and continues to break boundaries in the world of baseball. 

During a recent game for the San Francisco Giants against the San Diego Padres, Nakken became the first female coach to coach on the field. Previously, Nakken’s position as a coach has kept her in the dugout during the season’s games. This means she’s never officially touched the field to coach during a regular season game. However, after the first base coach, Antoan Richardson, was ejected during the game for “instructing the defense”, Nakken stepped in. 

It was the top of the third when Nakken stepped in, making history. She took on the regular duties of a first baseman and stayed in the position for the rest of the game. She wasn’t out of her depth though. After the game Nakken said “I’ve been in training as a first-base coach for the last few years. I work alongside Antoan, so I stepped into what I’ve been hired to do.” Eric Hosmer, first baseman of the San Diego Padres, greeted Nakken with a handshake at the base and showed his respect for her. San Francisco Giants Twitter went crazy that night posting about the historical moment in the MLB. 

While it may have seemed like a small thing, it means big things for the future of the MLB. While there hasn’t been any sign of another female coach entering the league, Nakken’s work so far has made it easier for another woman to come up. And now with her making history on the field, all eyes are on the Giants to see if they will continue to put Nakken in during these situations or if they will eventually make her a full-time base coach. 

Nakken played softball in college for the Sacramento State Athletics, and happened to be the team’s first baseman. She has tons of experience in the position so it was an obvious choice for the Giants to put her in after Antoan was ejected. She also coached as the first baseman for the Giants in July of 2020 during a summer camp game, not a regular season game. However, Nakken is now adding to her list of her achievements after this recent game.