PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Never thinking it was possible, Caitlyn Callahan embraces the opportunity as the Pirates first ever female coach.
It was in middle school where Callahan really found her love for baseball. Where she grew up in California, not enough girls were interested in playing softball at that age, so there was no opportunity.
She nearly quit the game, except for her younger brother's Little League coach encouraging her to try out for baseball.
She would and make the team, gaining a whole new appreciation and love for the sport. Callahan actually played with a couple of boys who are currently in pro baseball and a flame was lit.
When high school began, Callahan went back to softball and eventually played at two different universities. There was no doubt the time playing with the boys planted a seed.
Really with no real hope of being a baseball coach, Callahan got her first job as a 'minor league scout liaison' in the Cape Cod League in 2017 saying she would do everything from making sure players had pants that fit to getting coffee for coaches. Her hard work in that role got her a position as an Assistant General Manager the following season.
Looking to continue to do anything she could to stay in the game, she became a Minor League Video and Technology intern with the Cincinnati Reds for the last two seasons. In 2021, working for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts as the video coordinator, she would go on every road trip and really learned what it was like for the Double A players from accommodations, to ballpark facilities to meals.
Back in Arizona during the offseason a few months ago, the Pirates video and technology coordinator Marc Roche called her about a video job as a minor league office assistant. She said they talked about about an hour, calling it an easy conversation that veered into discussing various players in the minors. The next day, Roche invited her to come to the Pirates hitting camp in Florida.
Working as a server during the offseason, she decided to take a few days off and see what was in store. She quickly realized the trip to Florida was a working job interview and was one of a number of people the Pirates invited to get them an opportunity to see what they could do.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said she impressed from day one sharing a story of how she kicked Pirates Assistant Hitting Coach Mike Rebelo out of a cage as he was throwing batting practice and said 'I got this'. Cherington didn't believe she knew who he was.
"She effectively threw him out of the session and did a real good job," Cherington said. "You don't hire someone just for their BP, but it was illustrative of her courage and conviction and ability."
Like all good stories, it needed a little clarity. Callahan said it was on the main field, not the cage. Rebelo was with the next group of hitters and coming in from the outfield. She jumped at the opportunity.
"I just went up to the mound and I was like 'this is my time, I can contribute. I can help'," Callahan said. "At the end of the day, that's why I'm here. I want to help the team get better every single day. I wanted to prove I could hold my own and I didn't even think twice about it."
Days later, she was hired as a trailblazer in the Pirates organization.
"It knocked my socks off," Callahan said of the job offer. "I was like 'oh my gosh, this is possible'. To hopefully be that person, that strong female for girls/women in Pittsburgh. It's an honor. I'm excited to be around some bright minds in the baseball world."
"A real passion and curiosity for learning," Cherington said of Callahan. "Learning the best and most modern coaching practices. She is literate in all of the forms of technology we would use in player development. Most importantly she wants to help players get better, passionate about putting the player first. She quickly seemed like someone who would be a good teammate amongst our staff."
Asked if she ever dreamed of this, she was honest. The reality was a woman had never been hired as a coach until three years ago. Last year, she applied for a coaching job and never even got an interview.
"To be completely transparent with you, I didn't think it was going to be possible to be a coach," Callahan said. "Not because I didn't think I was capable. I remember where I was when I first saw when (Rachel) Balkovec was hired as a coach (in 2019, last month promoted to a Yankees minor league manager). I remember pulled it up on my phone and just being in awe. It's empowering and it's really cool to be a part of that."
She's just excited to be a part of a team, saying having a little brother has allowed her to understand how not just softball, but baseball players think.
"The beauty of having this diversity within our organization is I will be able to connect with a player different than another coach or staff member," Callahan said. "Once I'm able to have a conversation, I think that's half the battle. If you show that you are trying your best, you are working hard and actively learning every single day. Players respect that, coaches respect that. That's something I strive to do every day, learn something new, try my best."
"She has the characteristics we would look for in any coach," Cherington said. "The value for us is we get the benefit of different perspectives to baseball, world views, how to communicate, how to connect with people. That's why you do that, it makes us better."
"I hope that my background, my different perspective is able to generate new conversations that help with new ideas," Callahan said. "The conversations I've had with Pirates staff have been really enlightening."
"What the Pirates are doing, I'm excited to be a part of it. It's being executed well by people who care. It's really unique. It's really special. I'm excited just to be a part of it."
"I don't know what type of impact I will make, but I know it's not just going to be me. It's the whole staff."
