Red Sox make historic hire in Bianca Smith
BOSTON (BVM) — The Boston Red Sox are starting the new year with a historic hire in their organization, as Bianca Smith is set to become the first Black woman to coach in Major League Baseball history.
Bianca Smith will be joining the organization this season, making her the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball history.
— Red Sox (@RedSox)
Smith will look to join the organization鈥檚 rookie-level affiliate, Gulf Coast League Red Sox, in Fort Myers, Fla. For the incoming coach, the opportunity to be a trailblazer is something that she is looking forward to.聽
“The opportunity is amazing,” Smith said in an interview with . “I’m still wrapping my head around it. I probably won’t really have it sink in until I’m actually there. But I think it’s a great opportunity also to inspire other women in this game. This is not really something I thought about 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.”
Currently the hitting coach at Carroll University in Wisconsin, Smith will maintain her role at the program for the next couple of weeks as the professional baseball season ramps up.
“Preparing for the season, I’m doing exactly what I’ve been doing for the last several years,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淛ust continuing to keep learning, continuing to keep researching, doing as much as I can.
“I’ve still got several weeks here at Carroll, so I’ll get to work with my players here. So that will be great preparation. I’m going to be nonstop coaching for the next seven or eight weeks before I get started with the Red Sox.”
Before coaching at Carroll University, Smith was the director of baseball operations at Case Western Reserve University from 2013-17 and took over as an assistant coach at the University of Dallas in 2018.聽
The former collegiate softball player is coming into the Red Sox organization with previous major league experience after holding intern positions within the Cincinnati Reds鈥� and Texas Rangers鈥� front offices.
With an array of different titles throughout the game, the hire of Smith for the Red Sox was a no-brainer.
鈥淪he was a great candidate coming in,鈥� Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett told the . 鈥淪he鈥檚 had some really interesting experiences and has been passionate about growing her skill set and development herself.鈥�
Smith will look to get on the field with the Red Sox during the team’s spring training in February with her coaching role focused on the team鈥檚 position players.
