A's first team to hire female coach, add Siegal for fall league
The Oakland Athletics announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have invited Justine Siegal to be a special instructor for their upcoming Instructional League team.
From Oct. 4 to 17, Siegal will work with young players at the A's facility in Mesa, Arizona.
ICYMI: A's invite @justinebaseball to serve as guest instructor at Instructional League. http://t.co/eITDdMSHvD pic.twitter.com/qnGKQZV727
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) September 29, 2015
Siegal was previously the first woman to coach men's baseball at a professional level in 2009 with the independent league Brockton Rox.
In 2011, Siegal gained more notoriety when she threw batting practice for the A's and five other MLB clubs: the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Houston Astros.
A's assistant general manager David Forst said (via news release): "We're thrilled that Justine will be joining us for Instructional League. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise from years of playing, coaching and teaching the game, and all of our young players stand to benefit greatly from her time in camp."
Honored and grateful to be a guest coach for @Athletics during Instructional League. Baseball really is a game for all. #DreamBig
— Justine Siegal (@justinebaseball) September 29, 2015
Siegal told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle: "It’s a dream come true. The A’s are a first-class organization, and it will be an honor to wear their uniform.”
She'll do more than just on-field drills. Siegal has a Ph.D. in sport and exercise philosophy, and Slusser said the team plans on having her lead classroom-style presentations on the more cerebral aspects of baseball.
“As a rookie coach, I expect to hit a lot of fungos, throw a lot of batting practice and help out wherever they want me to help,” Siegal said. “And I do like talking about life skills -- I like to help people achieve their life goals.”
Slusser added that Siegal could presumably wind up with a full-time coaching job with Oakland after this guest instructor period, though the A's have yet to announce their minor-league coaches for next season.
