Rachel Balkovec outworked and out-studied the competition for years. Now, at the helm of the Tampa Tarpons, she is ready to change baseball, one player at a time.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Somewhere over Tampa Bay, while driving on the causeway connecting Tampa to Clearwater, Fla., Rachel Balkovec asked the two top Yankees prospects in the back seat if they had ever watched softball.
Antonio Gomez, 20, a catcher from Venezuela, said he had. Jasson Dominguez, 19, one of the highest-ranked prospects in baseball, said he had, too — but it was men playing in his native Dominican Republic.