Nakken to leave Giants for Guardians front office gig
MLB’s first full-time female coach transitions to a player development role in Cleveland
After a decade of working in the San Francisco Giants organization, trailblazing assistant coach Alyssa Nakken is moving on to join the Cleveland Guardians front office as an assistant in player development, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.
Nakken, 34, became the first female full-time coach in MLB history when the Giants — and then-manager Gabe Kapler — promoted her in January 2020.
She’s been considered by many as a rising star in the industry.
“Alyssa has all the characteristics and all the skills of a person who can lead a major-league staff and lead a major-league team at some point,” Kapler told the San Francisco Chronicle in November 2021. “There’s no question in my mind she has every tool necessary to do that at some point.”
Former Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi agreed, "Absolutely, especially if that’s something she aspires to.”
As a member of Kapler’s staff, Nakken’s role was versatile, without a specific area of focus. This flexibility enabled her to contribute across the diamond, working with baserunning, outfield, and infield groups during spring training and pregame drills.
After Kapler was dismissed with only a few games remaining in the 2023 season, Nakken was one of just a few internal candidates interviewed for the vacancy that was later filled by Bob Melvin. She was believed to be the first female ever interviewed for an MLB managerial opening.
While the Giants’ front office saw Nakken as a legitimate candidate, some also viewed the interview as a valuable opportunity for her to gain experience with the process—one they believe she will navigate many more times as she becomes a strong contender for future managerial openings across the league.
Melvin kept Nakken on his staff in 2024 to reprise her role of assistant coach.
According to Isaac Azout of Fish on First, Nakken was considered for the Miami Marlins open managerial vacancy this offseason. It’s unconfirmed if she interviewed or how far the discussion went, but her connection with Kapler — now the assistant general manager for Miami — signals she might’ve been his suggestion for the job that eventually went to Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough.
Nakken is poised to reunite with close friends Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa, former Giants coaches under Kapler who now hold prominent roles on manager Stephen Vogt’s staff in Cleveland. Albernaz was recently promoted to associate manager, while Correa took on an expanded role as field coordinator and director of defense, baserunning, and game strategy.
A standout for Sacramento State’s softball program, Nakken was the starting first baseman for the Hornets from 2009-12 and was a three-time all-conference selection. She began her professional baseball career as a baseball operations intern in San Francisco’s front office. She quickly played the role of jack-of-all-trades, ranging from different departments throughout the organization before her promotion in 2020.
A multitude of milestones quickly followed.
She appeared as the first woman to coach on the field during a big league contest on April 12, 2022, after first base coach Antoan Richardson was tossed. When she welcomed a baby daughter, Austyn, in January 2024, she broke through another wall — the first mom-coach in baseball history.
Nakken’s departure marks yet another departure for a Giants’ coach this offseason.
Hitting instructors Justin Vile and Pedro Guerrero were hired away by the Texas Rangers and Marlins respectively. Only first base coach Mark Hallberg and J.P. Martinez remain as the last-standing coaches originally hired by Kapler.