Breaking Barriers: Two Women’s Stories of Changing The MLB

By the end of 2020, the historic news surrounding Bianca Smith and Kim Ng’s hiring were discussed as much as the newly-crowned World Series champions. On Nov. 18, Kim Ng was hired by the Miami Marlins as the first-ever female General Manager (G.M). Shortly after the hiring of Ng, on Dec. 31, Bianca Smith was named the first Black female coach in professional baseball, when the Boston Red Socks announced her position. Even though the 2021 season has yet to start, these women are already breaking down barriers that have been firmly set in stone since the beginning of the sport. 

During her time off the field, Ng would watch her favorite team, the New York Yankees. Little did she know, after 30 years of hard work, she would be working for one of their best players of all time. She may have started her career at 22, but at 52, her legacy in the game is just getting started. 

Ng graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s Degree in public policy and the title of MVP from her college’s softball team. After she left college, she worked with the Chicago White Sox as Assistant Director of Baseball Operations for seven years. After three decades as an executive with the White Sox, the Yankees, the Dodgers, and Major League Baseball, Ng received the offer she had been waiting for. Derek Jeter, former hall of fame player and owner of the Miami Marlins, didn’t want anyone else except for Ng to manage his team. They became friends when he was a player and while Ng was working for the White Sox. Jeter knew she would fit the role perfectly. 

Ng has finally earned her spot in history after working longer than most male general managers. Not only is she the first female G.M., but she is also the first East Asian to serve as general manager of an MLB team—breaking the gender and ethnicity barrier. Girls and women all over the country now have a high-ranking female baseball icon to look up to. One of those women who Ng motivated is Bianca Smith, who is now making her own history.  

Smith always had a love for the sport. She grew up watching baseball movies with her mom. After she graduated high school, she attended Dartmouth University with the intentions of becoming a veterinarian. But after taking her first college biology class, she decided that career wasn’t her calling and she stuck with her love of baseball. Her passion for coaching began while she was studying for her Bachelor’s Degree in sociology at Dartmouth. 

After she won two varsity letters for her performance as an softball outfielder at Dartmouth, Smith moved on to coach the baseball team at Case Western for two years, where she got her law degree. Her coaching career, however, was not complete. Since 2018, Smith has been the assistant coach and hitting coordinator at Carroll University in Wisconsin. She was hired by the Red Sox and will assume the position at the beginning of the 2021 season.

In an interview with ESPN, Smith explains her feelings about being the first-ever Black female coach in the MLB: “Really, the idea that I just get to coach, I can’t stop getting excited about it. As soon as I got that offer, the smile on my face just wouldn’t go away for a while.” She later explains how she is beyond excited to be a role model for girls all over the country, especially for young Black girls. 

At only 29 years old, Smith is on track to fulfill her dream of becoming a major league coach or G.M. like Ng. Though Ng waited 30 years to earn her position, she is more enthusiastic than ever. She is ready for what’s ahead of her. Even though it is the first year in their positions for both Bianca Smith and Kim Ng, they are ready to keep inspiring people as they embark on this new chapter of their lives.