Bianca Smith’s presence in baseball likely will grow in significance if she accomplishes her goal with the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox hired Smith as a minor league coach Monday, making her the first Black female coach in professional baseball history.
Smith reflected on her historic appointment Monday, telling MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” she hopes to be a role model for other women who are interested pursuing careers in baseball.
“The opportunity is amazing,” Smith said. “I’m still wrapping my head around it. I probably won’t really have it sink in until I’m actually there.
“I think it’s a great opportunity also to kind of inspire other women who are interested in this game. This is not really something I thought about it when I was younger. I kind of fell into it being an athlete. So I’m excited to get that chance to show what I can do.”
Smith leaves her job as Carroll University’s assistant coach and hitting coordinator, hoping to use the Red Sox’s resources to develop into an elite professional coach.
“As the hitting coordinator, I run all of our technology side for hitting at Carroll,” Smith said. “The number of different resources that the Red Sox have as far as tech goes, I’m really excited to get my hands on that and learning the different metrics and being able to dive deeper into what I currently have is pretty exciting.”
Smith, 29, is the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball. If she reaches the upper-reaches of the coaching ladder, chances are many others — of all genders and backgrounds — will follow her path.
