The Rachel Balkovec bullet train continues to speed forward, and she encourages you to hop aboard.
“If you know my story and you have a pulse, I think it’s pretty hard not to get behind what’s going on here,” Balkovec said Wednesday during a Zoom news conference, as the Yankees formally introduced her as the manager of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons, making her affiliated baseball’s first full-time female skipper. “It’s the American dream. There’s definitely been some dark times that I’ve been able to overcome … that I think that everybody can enjoy a piece of my story.”
Her story featured considerable obstacles to get this far, she detailed Wednesday, a struggle that occurred less than 10 years ago: Progressing far down the road in pursuit of a job for a major league club that trains in Arizona, only to be told, “I’m really sorry, we’re not going to be able to hire you because you’re a woman.” Being “broke as a joke” as she worked as a waitress and applied for openings in baseball. Even temporarily changing her name on résumés to “Rae,” which at least generated a phone call from an interested party … who quickly lost interest upon learning “Rae” was a woman.
The tide turned when the Cardinals, who had employed her as an intern in their minor league system in 2012, offered her the position of minor league strength and conditioning coordinator for the 2014 season. Said Balkovec: “I think, when I actually got that job, I had $14 in my bank account.” She borrowed money from her parents to get to spring training.
“It’s unbelievable that I’m sitting here talking to you right now,” said Balkovec, who added that she had received congratulations from women’s tennis icon Billie Jean King. “But I’m so glad I didn’t give up.”
Yankees vice president of player development Kevin Reese, who hired Balkovec in November 2019 as a minor league hitting coach and conceived of this promotion, said the idea generated consensus among his fellow decision-makers in expeditious fashion.
“There [are] very small moves where we have heated discussions [over whether it’s the right call],” Reese said. “But this is about [Balkovec’s] qualifications and her ability to lead. It was relatively quick. The toughest part was talking her into it.”
Balkovec reiterated Wednesday that her ultimate goal is to become a major league general manager — she believes her on-field time will only bolster her credentials for the front office — an idea that the Yankees’ current GM welcomed.
“She’s determined. She’s strong. She’s got perseverance,” Brian Cashman said. “She’s got a plan for what she wants to do in the present and where she wants to go in the future. I would not put any limitations on what her future would entail. She’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to accomplish her goal.”
The 34-year-old Balkovec who played softball at the University of New Mexico, also worked for the Astros and White Sox (in addition to the Cardinals) before joining the Yankees as well as gigs with the Australian Baseball League, the Dominican Winter League, the Arizona Fall League and Arizona State University. She also served as an apprentice hitting coach for the Netherlands National Baseball and Softball programs while earning a master’s degree in biomechanics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam after she left the Astros and before she joined the Yankees. That marked her second master’s; she earned her first one, in sports administration, at LSU. The Nebraska native also learned Spanish to better communicate with professional players.
As for how she will lead her new team, Balkovec, who credited Marlins GM Kim Ng and longtime Yankees assistant GM Jean Afterman as trailblazers, said, “It’s going to be definitely high standards and very clear standards. If something goes on that’s not for the good of the team, they’re going to hear it from me. And just going back to honesty and being direct with them and hoping for the same.
“They can definitely expect some loud music in the clubhouse. They already know that. A fun environment. One of my passions is creating a really competitive environment. Sometimes that’s lost in a minor league system. Wins aren’t on the forefront of everyone’s mind. It’s about development. But for me, it’s like, how do we get these guys to compete every day and, even though the wins don’t matter as much as the major league level, getting every day to matter and every practice to matter? That’s really what I’m passionate about.”
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