“She is so well-versed in the game, any aspect of it.”
– Former Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti
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Today is a momentous day not only for baseball but for all sports. The Miami Marlins have hired Kim Ng to be their new General Manager, as they work towards bringing a championship to their organization in the coming seasons.
The soon to be 52-year-old (on November 17) Indianapolis, IN native not only becomes Major League Baseball’s first female General Manager, but also the first Asian-American GM. She also becomes the highest-ranking woman in Major League Baseball operations.
Ng has an impressive resume, with more than 30 of years experience including tenures with three teams before ending up in the MLB Commissioner’s Office. She spent six seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1990-1996), three with the New York Yankees (1998-2001), and nine with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-2011). She has spent the last nine years in the Commissioner’s office (2011-2020).
Worth noting is that Ng has experienced eight postseasons, including six League Championship Series and three World Series. How many people can say that?
Ned Colletti, the Dodgers General Manager from 2006 through 2014 and current analyst for SportsNet LA, had nothing but high praise for Ng, who previously worked under him during his tenure with the Dodgers. Upon hearing the news, the former Dodger executive tweeted this out:
Colletti was later interviewed on MLB Network Radio, where he continued his high praise of Ng and her tremendous experience in scouting, player development, negotiations, handling communications, and just understanding the dynamics of people and challenges within an organization.
“She did everything for me,” Colletti said. “I did not hesitate to give her every responsibility because I thought, as a leader, it was my duty to continue to build everybody that was helping me in the GM role. I saw great potential.”
Molly Knight, author of ‘The Best Team Money Can Buy’ and Senior Staff Writer for The Athletic, posted her own headline and article (subscription required) on Twitter about Ng:
It is usually a mixed bag when history is being made, especially when it is a woman taking on a role in a male-dominated sport. Wanting to celebrate the milestone for what it is and how hard someone worked but also being colored by the fact that it is 2020 and this is the first time a woman is holding the GM position not only in baseball but in professional sports in general. Regardless, she put in the work and she deserves to shine in this moment.
This same conundrum was experienced earlier this year when the San Francisco Giants hired the first female first base coach, Alyssa Nakken. These women had all of the necessary experience and just needed the opportunity to move into their respective roles to prove it.
“I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next General Manager,” Ng said in a Marlins press release. “This challenge is one that I don’t take lightly. When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a major league team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals.”
As of October 22, 2020, Statista.com reported that female fans comprise 59 percent of fans within their demographic versus the 41 percent who do not consider themselves fans at all. With men, that number is 80 percent, with only 20 percent not claiming fandom of the sport.
To all the little girls growing up watching and playing sports, and the fans today that also happen to be women, it is nice to see that even in a year filled with unprecedented challenges like 2020, there is finally more diversity being introduced into America’s National Pastime.
To be able to see someone who is representative of a demographic that is starting to gain traction in the baseball sphere is not only promising, but it gives people something to relate to. It also does not hurt that Ng has the talent, leadership, and a superb body of work to back up such an outstanding decision.
Congratulations to Kim Ng! Well done!