Alyssa Nakken to lead Cleveland Guardians player development in Arizona
The Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB) announced on Tuesday, February 4, the promotion of Alyssa Nakken to Director of Player Development, Arizona Development.
A former Sacramento State softball star, the 35-year-old Nakken became the first woman to coach full-time in Major League Baseball (MLB) when San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler hired Nakken as an assistant in 2020, stating that Nakken would "focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team."
Nakken made history on April 12, 2022, when she became the first woman to coach on the field in a Major League game. She took over as the Giants’ first-base coach in the top of the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected from the game by crew chief Greg Gibson.
"I’ve been in training as a first-base coach for the last few years," commented Nakken in an interview with MLB.org. "I work alongside Antoan, so I stepped into what I’ve been hired to do."
Nakken interviewed for the managerial opening after the Giants dismissed Kaplerat the end of the 2023 season. San Francisco ultimately gave the job to Bob Melvin.
She gave birth to her daughter, Austyn, in January 2024. During her pregnancy, she participated in an ad for Nike's maternity line.
Before the 2024 season, Nakken accepted a player development role with the Cleveland Guardians.
MLB.com reported that: "In her new role, Nakken will take on increased leadership responsibility at the Guardians’ complex in Goodyear, Arizona, and within the organisation's player development processes, helping align on-field work and staff collaboration."
Cleveland promoted another woman to a prominent player development role after Ilana Mishkin became Director of Player Development, Player Support.
Mishkin graduated in linguistics, Summa Cum Laude, from Carleton College in 2016. After an eight-month internship with the Minnesota Twins in 2018, she joined the Cleveland Guardians Baseball Operations in February 2019. The Guardians promoted her to Coordinator, Player Development, in 2021 and to Assistant Director, Player Development, in 2022.
February 4 was National Girls and Women in Sports Day in the USA.
On February 3, 1987, US President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5606 declaring February 4, 1987, as National Women in Sports Day.
The annual observance was established in 1987 to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman and her achievements and work for equality. Hyman died of Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder of the connective tissue, while competing in a tournament in Japan in 1986.
The name was amended to National Women and Girls in Sports Day in 1989.