Bianca Smith

Bianca Smith is a professional baseball coach who made history in the Boston Red Sox organization as the first Black woman to serve in such a role. Smith now serves as a coach and sports exchange advisor for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Progam, as well as a hitting coach for Great Britain Baseball.

Smith was a co-captain of her high school softball team at Colleyville Heritage High School in Dallas. She continued pursuing her passion for sports at Dartmouth College, playing on the varsity softball and club baseball teams. Upon graduating with a B.A. in sociology in 2012, she set her sights on a career in baseball management. With her career goals in mind, Smith earned a J.D. degree and an MBA in sports management from Case Western Reserve University in 2017. Concurrently, she gained practical experience as the director of baseball operations for the Case Western Reserve Spartans from 2013 to 2017.

In the following years, Smith served as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Dallas college baseball team and interned in the baseball operations departments of the Texas Rangers and Major League Baseball's corporate headquarters. In 2019, she accepted a role with the Cincinnati Reds as a baseball operations trainee. Later that same year, she joined Carroll University in Wisconsin as assistant athletic director for compliance and administration, also taking on the duties of assistant baseball coach and hitting coordinator. Her coaching approach is notable for its heavy reliance on statistical metrics and data analysis.

Smith's trailblazing journey was recognized by the Boston Red Sox, who officially hired her as a minor league coach on January 4, 2021. The Boston Globe had reported the news on December 31, 2020, announcing Smith's assignment to the team's Fenway South complex alongside manager Tom Kotchman. In 2022, Smith continued her coaching duties at the Fort Myers complex and also served as a coach for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. Despite a successful tenure with the Red Sox, Smith declined an offer to remain with the organization in 2023, choosing instead to explore new opportunities. Throughout her career, Smith has earned sponsorships from brands such as Nike, Oakley, and Topps.