Marlins Hire Kim Ng as General Manager in Historic Move

The Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng as their new general manager on Friday, making her the first female general manager in Major League Baseball history. She will also be the first Asian-American general manager in MLB, and is believed to be the first female general manager across all four major U.S. sports.

Ng, 51, spent the last nine years as Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of baseball operations. Prior to that, she had 21 years of experience in front offices of Major League Baseball teams, including the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

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“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 prepared 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.”

Ng began her baseball career as an intern with the White Sox in 1990, and eventually rose up to become the assistant director of baseball operations. She spent one year working in the American League front office as the director of waivers and records before joining the Yankees as an assistant general manager from 1998-2001. Upon her hire, she was the youngest assistant general manager in MLB at 29 years old, and was only the second woman to hold that position with a major league team. In those four years, the Yankees won four pennants and three World Series.

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After working with the Yankees, she was hired to the same position with the Dodgers from 2002-2011. She was responsible for assisting in all player transactions, trades, and arbitration hearings. She also helped with pro scouting. In 2004, she was the interim farm director, overseeing all player development among the organization.

“I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next General Manager,” Ng said. “ We are building for the long term in South Florida, developing a forward-thinking, collaborative, creative baseball operation made up of incredibly talented and dedicated staff who have, over the last few years, laid a great foundation for success.”

In total Ng was an integral part of eight postseason appearances, six League Championship Series appearances, and three World Series titles with her three previous clubs.

This was not the first time that Ng’s name came up in the GM hiring process around the league. Most recently, the New York Mets turned her down in 2018 after she was a finalist in their general manager search. The job eventually went to Brodie Van Wagenen, instead.

“I entered Major League Baseball as an intern and, after decades of determination, it is the honor of my career to lead the Miami Marlins as their next General Manager,” Ng said. “ We are building for the long term in South Florida, developing a forward-thinking, collaborative, creative baseball operation made up of incredibly talented and dedicated staff who have, over the last few years, laid a great foundation for success.”

Although her title is different, Ng replaces longtime Marlins executive Michael Hill as the public voice and lead decision-maker in Miami’s front office (Hill had been the club’s president of baseball operations). The Fish parted ways with Hill last month and he has since emerged as a strong candidate to join the rival Mets.

We will have plenty more about Ng over the weekend and on Monday when the Marlins are holding a (virtual) introductory press conference for her.