Athletics hire MLB’s first female coach

I’m so elated! My baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, have hired the first MLB female coach: Justine Siegal.

Siegel got her start coaching baseball in 2009 when she was the first base coach for independent league Brockton Rox.

In February 2011, Siegal became the first female to throw batting practice to the Cleveland Indians.

More recently, Siegal has spent her time working with Baseball For All, a non-profit organization that she founded to give young women the opportunity to play baseball.

Siegal will assist the A’s player development staff both on and off the field when she joins the team for Instructional League next month.

Siegal threw batting practice to four A’s hitters, including Coco Crisp, back in that 2011 spring session and won a few respect. The Sacramento Kings followed suit by hiring Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman to serve as an assistant under head coach George Karl this summer.

Siegal will work with A’s minor leaguers from October 4-17 at their complex in Arizona.

“As a rookie coach, I expect to hit a lot of fungos, throw a lot of batting practice and help out wherever they want me to help”, Siegal said. “She’ll be doing a little bit of everything”. She holds a PhD.in sport and exercise psychology from Springfield College, where she was an assistant baseball coach from 2008-10.

Second baseman Eric Sogard, who was also on that 2011 A’s squad, said he likes the idea of Siegal getting a coaching opportunity with the organization, citing other ground-breaking roles for women in male-dominated professional sports in recent years. “And I do like talking about life skills; I like to help people achieve their life goals”.

While Siegal is not yet considered a full-time coach, Forst said that the A’s will consider anything, so a minor-league coaching position may be in the cards.

A’s assistant general manager David Forst called Siegal “more than qualified, no matter what gender” and said the organization’s belief is that it is better served with “a diversity of voices and opinions”.

Said Siegal: “I’ve found from experience that men are surprised to have a woman coach, but when they realize you know what you’re talking about and that you care, you fit right in with the rest of the staff”.