Nakken joins Guardians after landmark S.F. stint

CLEVELAND — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in a Major League Baseball game, is leaving the Giants to join the Guardians.

Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the first woman to be a full-time coach in the majors.

She has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the American League Central last season under Stephen Vogt, who was named the AL Manager of the Year in his first season.

With Cleveland, the 34-year-old Nakken will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa.

“Nak is a systematic executor of processes and a thoughtful communicator,” Correa said via text message Friday night. “When you combine her skill set with the unique experiences she’s had over the course of her career, it makes her a perfect fit for our player development system. I’m really looking forward to being her teammate again.”

Nakken’s exact duties are still being determined. She became a first-time mother, welcoming daughter Austyn earlier this year, and didn’t travel full time on manager Bob Melvin’s staff.

“We thank Alyssa Nakken for her incredible contributions to the San Francisco Giants and for trailblazing a path for women in sports,” the Giants said in a statement Friday. “Her leadership, dedication, and passion for the game have inspired countless individuals, and her impact has been truly transformative for the Giants organization and the baseball community.

“As she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career, we have no doubt that she’ll continue to inspire and achieve great things. We wish her and her family nothing but the best.”

Nakken is the second woman hired by the Guardians as on-field coach. In 2023, the club brought in Amanda Kamekona as the hitting development coach for its year-round training academy in Goodyear, Arizona.

Last season, Kamekona was an assistant hitting coach at Double-A Akron. Kamekona was twice a third-team All-American at UCLA after transferring from Cal State Fullerton.