First woman is named to manage a team in baseball's minor league system

Rachel Balkovec, 34, formerly a hitting coach in the Florida Complex League, is the first woman to manage a minor league baseball team. She will manage the Low-A Tampa Tarpons, an affiliate of the New York Yankees, next season. Balkovec also was the first woman to be a full-time hitting coach. She is a veteran of the Australian Baseball League in 2020, and has been a professional coach for 10 years. She began her career as a minor league strength and conditioning coach with the St. Louis Cardinals…