Major League Baseball kicked off its annual Take the Field program on Saturday morning in Orlando during the Winter Meetings. The two-day event, aimed at aspiring baseball professionals, featured a five-person alumni panel and drew over 130 attendees from more than 800 applications. It provides education, networking, and professional development opportunities facilitated by leaders from all 30 MLB clubs.
The Take the Field program, created in 2018, targets individuals interested in baseball operations, front office, or on-field careers. Held during the annual Winter Meetings presented by CohnReznick, this year's edition is the largest yet, with all 30 Major League clubs represented in some capacity.
Julia Hernandez, MLB’s coordinator of on-field operations, highlighted the program's growth. “Being able to watch this event grow from its inception when I was in the seats that some of our participants are in now, all the way to now, when we are getting close to three times the size of it in terms of participants and club representation,” Hernandez said. “We have all 30 clubs here represented in some way, shape or form. That really shows how important this is to the industry as a whole, and how clubs see this as a value to themselves, to try and find their next person that they want to bring in and develop.”
Sessions cover topics including analytics, baseball operations, coaching, player development, research and development, scouting, technology, and umpiring. Participants, selected based on readiness for internships, fellowships, or entry-level positions, also receive resume reviews, mock interviews, and networking chances.
Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations and workforce development, spoke about the lack of such events in his early career. “No matter how you approach it, everyone's just looking for whatever that competitive edge is to be successful,” Hill said. “And hopefully, over these next two days, we'll be able to give our applicants a little taste, a look behind the curtain, so that hopefully they can pursue their dreams in the game.”
Keynote speaker Chanda Lawdermilk, vice president and assistant general manager with the Rays, shared her journey from an unpaid intern at the Astros in the early 2000s to her current role, including a stint at a call center. She emphasized resilience, openness to unexpected opportunities, and selflessness. “I think as humans, it's very easy to put the goal outside of it and just work towards it like blinders on,” Lawdermilk said. “‘I'm going to do this. I'm going to be this.’ But even my story, like being in the HR department, it was not something that was on the bingo card at all. But had I not done that, I would not be able to do the things I get to do today.”
The alumni panel included Amanda Taylor (Braves, assistant in Minor League operations), Hailey Leviton (Twins, assistant director of baseball operations), Rachel Neugart (Mets, Dominican Republic assistant field coordinator), Emma Segerman (MLB, international operations coordinator), and Micaela Abbatine (Pirates, amateur scouting coordinator). Each has attended Take the Field multiple times. They discussed career motivations, standout traits like authenticity, hard work, attention to detail, curiosity, and open-mindedness, and answered questions on daily challenges and player evaluation.
“My best piece of advice would be just to be present,” Taylor said. “I think so often when we're job seeking, when you have internships or thinking about ‘what's next, what's next,’ it's really hard to be present. I'm definitely guilty of that. … There's a lot of knowledge in this room. There's a lot of really awesome people here. So just be present. Enjoy this. Take all your notes. Listen closely, ask the questions you want to ask.”