David Blais
Asst. Sports Director
This past Friday, the Miami Marlins announced that Kim Ng would be the next general manager of the baseball franchise. This historic decision was made by Marlins owner Derek Jeter, who is a former player that had a 20 year career with the New York Yankees. Ng does not just become the first female GM in baseball history, but also the first Asian American manager as well.
Kim Ng has been in the baseball world since 1991, when she interned with the Chicago White Sox (CWS) after graduating from the University of Chicago. That same year, she was hired full-time for the CWS as the special project analyst. In 1995, she was promoted to assistant director of baseball operations by then owner Ron Schueler. Kim Ng then became the director of waivers and record for the American League in 1997. The following year she was recruited and hired by then New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to become the assistant general manager. She became the fourth assistant general manager in baseball history. In 2001, she joined the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball franchise as the vice president and assistant general manager. In 2011, she left the Dodgers to become the senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball.
Kim Ng is not just known throughout the baseball world, but has also caught the attention of the world for her various jobs throughout sports. In 2015, she was ranked #13 on Forbes magazine list of “most powerful women in sports”.
The Marlins have been an awful franchise and team for the past 11 years without having a winning season since 2009. In the 2010s alone, the Marlins had an overall record of 707 regular season wins and 911 regular season losses. The team needs to start making radical changes in order to stop more losing and disinterest from fans alike.
The hiring of Kim Ng is a step in the right direction for the Marlins bringing in a seasoned veteran who knows what to do to make a franchise successful. With her successful track record and acclaimed by her male counterparts alike, she is going to be the reason the Marlins become a good baseball team to keep an eye on once again.