Alyssa Nakken, the first woman coach in Major League Baseball history, is leaving the Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians as an assistant in player development, as first reported by 95.7 The Game’s Steven Rissotto.
Nakken is the latest member of last year’s coaching staff to depart from the team, joining Justin Viele (Rangers), Pedro Guerrero (Marlins) and Bryan Price (stepped down). Additionally, Pete Putila, the team’s general manager in 2023 and 2024, and Michael Schwartze, the team’s former director of baseball analytics, have joined the Braves.
In Cleveland, Nakken will be reunited with a pair of former Giants coaches in Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Under Stephen Vogt, the 2024 American League Manager of the Year, Albernaz is an associate manager while Correa is a field instructor.
Nakken, 34, made no shortage of history during her five seasons with the team. On April 12, 2022, Nakken became the first woman to appear in an on-field role, coaching first base after former first base coach Antoan Richardson was ejected. Last offseason, the Giants interviewed Nakken for their vacant manager opening after firing Gabe Kapler, becoming the first woman to interview for the position. The jersey that Nakken wore during her first major-league game on July 23, 2020 was sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Earlier this year, Nakken gave birth to her first child, Austyn.
A standout softball player at Sacramento State, Nakken first joined the Giants in 2014 as a baseball operations intern, serving various front-office roles before joining the major-league coaching staff.