I have a new favorite sportswriter, and her name is Meg Rowley. She debuted on Baseball Prospectus. Can I just say, if this is the debut, ya’ll better watch out for this one.
My debut for @baseballpro on front office hiring and a little bit of history repeating: Post-Moneyball’s Clubability https://t.co/DiGogE0bwz
— Meg Rowley (@megrowler) November 4, 2015
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You need to read her whole article. It’s just that good. It inspired me to write about women’s place in baseball. Miss Baseball is a feminist. What is my definition of a feminist? Well, I believe that if you are 5 foot 8 and can hit a breaking ball and have a glove on you, you should have the opportunity to play in Major League Baseball. I believe that if you can type words and use stats to compose intelligent thoughts, major sports networks should give you an opportunity to bring your words to the masses. This might not be the definition to some, but it is to me. I don’t want a handout, I just want a chance.
I want to take a moment and talk to women in college or heading to college. Women need to go into math and business. Major in stats, and economics, finance. Right now, the front office of baseball is changing, and metrics are not going to be a new fad, but a cornerstone of how players are drafted and played. Women can be a part of this. Take the classes that help you understand the metrics of baseball. In Meg’s article, she writes, “Baseball should make entry-level positions a feasible financial possibility for a more diverse applicant pool, by requiring teams to create fellowship positions that pay a living wage and are designed to recruit and cultivate women and people of color.”
I agree with this, but women need to go to college and major in the things that Major League Baseball is looking for. It’s not marketing or community relations. It’s math, stats, finance and economics.
Meg talks about the boys club of baseball’s front office, and it exists today not because women aren’t allowed but because women don’t have the skill set that Major League Baseball is looking for. Let’s change that, ladies, and become what we need to become to make it into the boys club.
I’ve worked in two boys clubs, one an IT department, and I earned respect from my peers by being a hard worker and a fast and thorough learner. When I worked for the Texas Rangers, I worked very hard, worked long hours, came in early and stayed late. I would hand out promotions and take tickets, help people find seats, go back and forth in the tunnel for various projects. I also learned all the players’ names, and I got my nickname, Miss Baseball, because I knew how to say Justin Duchscherer.
Women are hard workers and smart. It’s time to show the front office that there is a place for women in baseball.
Miss Baseball 