Alyssa Nakken broke barriers when she became the first woman named to an MLB coaching staff in 2020. Now, she might make history as a major league manager.
Nakken, 33, has formally interviewed to become the next manager of the San Francisco Giants, The Athletic reported. She is believed to be the first woman to officially interview for an MLB managerial post.
Nakken became the first woman to coach on the field when she worked as a first-base coach during an April 12, 2022, game, CBS Sports reported. She walked to the coaching box when an umpire ejected first-base coach Antoan Richardson, according to The Athletic.
Some news: The Giants formally interviewed assistant coach Alyssa Nakken for their managerial role, according to sources. She's believed to be the first woman to become an official candidate for an MLB club's top uniformed job. Story: https://t.co/jsh95THeyS
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) October 15, 2023
She is in the mix to replace Gabe Kapler, who was fired as Giants manager on Sept. 29 with three games left in the season, KOVR-TV reported. Kapler, 47, went 295-248 from 2020 to 2023, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Other candidates include Giants third-base coach Mark Hallberg, bench coach Kai Correa and former third-base coach Ron Wotus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A former all-conference softball player at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants as a baseball operations intern in 2014, according to The Athletic.
Nakken declined to comment through the Giants to the sports website.
Regardless of her baseball future, Nakken will be managing in a different category in February. She and her husband, Robert Abel, announced on social media in August that the couple is expecting their first child, The Athletic reported. Her due date is Feb. 9.
Giants President Farhan Zaidi has said that his goal is to have a manager in place before free agency begins during the first week of November.
