Jaime Vieira Hired by Blue Jays as Minor League Coach; Org's 1st Female Coach

The Toronto Blue Jays have hired former baseball operations research and development intern Jaime Vieira to serve as a minor league hitting coach in 2022, per The Athletic.

That makes her the first female coach the organization has ever hired at any level.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reported that "where she ends up coaching this season wasn't immediately clear as the club is still finalizing roles for its minor league staff."

Viera previously played and coached softball for Ontario's University of Guelph-Humber.

She's one of a growing number of female hires in Major League Baseball.

Rachel Balkovec was reportedly hired this week to manage the New York Yankees' Low-A Tampa Tarpons, per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, making her the first female manager in affiliated professional baseball.

Kim Ng became the first female MLB general manager in 2020 when the Miami Marlins hired her, while Alyssa Nakken became the first woman on an MLB coaching staff that same year when Gabe Kapler hired her as a coaching assistant for the San Francisco Giants.

And Bianca Smith became the first Black woman to coach professional baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired her to work at their Fort Myers development facility in Florida.