The Miami Marlins have reportedly hired Rachel Balkovec as their new director of player development, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Balkovec, 36, has worked in various capacities within baseball for the past decade. During the last two seasons she managed the Tampa Tarpons, the New York Yankees' Single-A affiliate, becoming the first woman to manage a minor league team.
Before becoming a manager, Balkovec was a strength and conditioning coach with the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros and then joined the Yankees as a full-time hitting coach within the organization.
It's been an offseason of front office change for the Marlins with spring training approaching in a month's time.
Peter Bendix was hired as president of baseball operations in November. That move came weeks after general manager Kim Ng, the first woman to serve that role in MLB history, departed after three seasons. Former San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler was added as an assistant GM, and Vinesh Kanthan was brought on as the new director of baseball operations after five years as the Texas Rangers' assistant director of baseball operations.
The Marlins went 84-78 in 2023, finishing third in the NL East before being swept in their best-of-three series by the Philadelphia Phillies.
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