Rachel Balkovec (born July 5, 1987)[1] is an American minor league baseball manager who is currently the director of player development for the Miami Marlins.

[3] After moving to the Netherlands to pursue a second master's degree at Vrije University, Balkovec worked for the Dutch baseball and softball programs as an assistant hitting coach.

[3] After graduating, she returned to the United States to work at a fellowship at Driveline Baseball, researching hitters' eye tracking and pitchers' hip movement.

[3] In November 2019, Balkovec was announced as the New York Yankees' newest Minor League hitting coach, to start in spring training 2020, again the first woman to hold such a position full-time.

[9][10] On January 10, 2024, MLB.com reported Balkovec would be named Director of Player Development for the Miami Marlins as the team remakes its front office.

[11] In 2013, she was waitressing and working at Lululemon, hoping to advance her coaching career, but after applying to 15 different teams in Phoenix and not hearing back, she changed her name on her resume and her email address from "Rachel" to "Rae".