Kim Ng hired by Miami Marlins as first female general manager in US sports
The Miami Marlins have hired Kim Ng to be their next general manager, making her the first female GM in the history of Major League Baseball.
“After decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins,” 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.”
Ng, 51, is believed to be the first female general manager for a men’s team in a major professional sport in North America, the Marlins said.
She has worked as the senior vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner’s office since 2011, reporting directly to Joe Torre. She previously worked in the front offices of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-2011), New York Yankees (1998-2001) and Chicago White Sox (1990-1996).
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter played for the Yankees when Ng worked for them. The team won the World Series in three of her four years with the club.
“We look forward to Kim bringing a wealth of knowledge and championship-level experience to the Miami Marlins,” Jeter said in a statement. “Her leadership of our baseball operations team will play a major role on our path toward sustained success.
“Additionally, her extensive work in expanding youth baseball and softball initiatives will enhance our efforts to grow the game among our local youth as we continue to make a positive impact on the south Florida community.”
The Queens native becomes the fifth person to hold the Marlins’ top position in baseball operations, and succeeds Michael Hill, who was not retained after the 2020 season.
The Marlins achieved surprising progress in Year 3 of Jeter’s rebuilding effort, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card round. They were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the
National League Division Series.
A virtual news conference for Ng is planned for Monday.
Ng started her baseball career as a White Sox intern and rose to become assistant director of baseball operations. She worked for the American League for one year and then joined the Yankees, becoming the youngest assistant general manager in MLB at 29, and only the second woman to attain that position with a major league club. She was the Dodgers’ vice president and assistant general manager.
With MLB, Ng directed international baseball operations, working with the front offices of the major league clubs and many other baseball leagues and entities around the world. She led a team that set policy for and enforced international signing rules, established MLB’s first system for registering international players for signing, managed protocols for signing international players, and negotiated agreements with international winter leagues.
Ng graduated from the University of Chicago, where she played softball and earned a degree in public policy.