Kim Ng hired by Marlins as general manager, becoming first woman to hold that post in baseball
Kim Ng, who served as a high-ranking executive in baseball for more than 30 years, made history Friday when she was named general manager of the Miami Marlins, the first woman to ascend to the top post in a baseball operations department.
Ng, 51, served as an assistant GM or in similar roles with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles and New York Yankees between 1990 and 2011. More recently, she has worked in Major League Baseball’s central office as a senior vice president of baseball operations.
“This challenge is one I don’t take lightly,” Ng said in a statement. “When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a major league team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals. My goal is now to bring championship baseball to Miami. I am both humbled and eager to continue building the winning culture our fans expect and deserve.”
All the while, she kept knocking on the door of the game’s highest baseball operations job, only to be rebutted.
Ng could wallpaper a room with the pennants of teams with which she’s interviewed: The Philadelphia Phillies in 2015. The San Diego Padres in 2014. The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants in 2018. And the Angels in 2011 and the Dodgers and two other clubs, at least, in years prior.
Yet the executive Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre in 2018 called “a very bright and very brave woman who knows baseball” never cracked that glass ceiling until Friday, when the Marlins named her to replace Michael Hill, who parted with the club last month after 19 years in the front office, serving as the top baseball official since 2007.
Ng, according to the Marlins, is believed to be the first woman to serve as GM of a North American men’s professional sports franchise.
“On behalf of principal owner Bruce Sherman and our entire ownership group, we look forward to Kim bringing a wealth of knowledge and championship-level experience to the Miami Marlins,” said Marlins CEO Derek Jeter in a statement. “Her leadership of our baseball operations team will play a major role on our path toward sustained success.”
As assistant GM, Ng’s duties involved significant preparation for potential arbitration cases and contract negotiations, fostering significant relationships in every corner of the game.
As Yankees assistant GM, she beat all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera in arbitration. As Dodgers assistant GM, she beat uber agent Scott Boras and his client, closer Eric Gagne, at the time the Dodgers’ most popular player, in arbitration. Toggling between jobs with major league franchises and the central office has provided Ng a worldview unique to most GM candidate
