'I’m just excited beyond belief': Get to know new Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy

Worcester Red Sox fans, meet Chad Tracy.

He’s the new manager of the WooSox and he carries an impressive baseball resume. The Red Sox recently hired him to manage their Triple-A affiliate for many reasons, including his baseball IQ, communication skills and passion for the game.

Tracy is a baseball lifer.

The game is part of his family’s DNA. His grandfather, father and two brothers all played professional baseball. Tracy is the son of former major league manager Jim Tracy. Chad grew up in pro clubhouses and roamed the diamond before starting his playing career that led him to Pepperdine University.

The Texas Rangers selected him in the third round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. He played nine pro seasons, all in the minors, and hit .267 with 159 homers and 706 RBIs. He reached Triple A in 2010 with Oklahoma City and in 2011 with Round Rock, both affiliates of the Rangers.

Tracy spent the last seven seasons in the Angels organization, including three as a minor league manager with Low-A Burlington (2015) and High-A Inland Empire (2016-17). He was the minor league field coordinator for the last four seasons.

The 36-year-old is excited about this new opportunity in the Red Sox organization. It’s clear he understands what’s expected of him from an organizational and fan standpoint.

The T&G recently spoke with Tracy about becoming the second manager in WooSox history and what he expects from himself and the players.

T&G: After spending seven years in the Angels organization, what do you think of this opportunity in the Red Sox system with the WooSox?

Tracy: I’m thrilled, and that’s the word I keep using. It’s the best one I can come up with. It’s like trying to figure out what’s the most elated word. I’m just excited beyond belief. Seven years spent in one organization, and when you’re going through this, you’re wondering where you’re going to land, so not only an opportunity to manage, which I love doing, but to do it for an organization like the Red Sox, I could not be more happy in the way that they have treated me throughout this process. It was a lengthy process. I spoke with a lot of people, and I was always treated so professionally, so first-class by every single person I encountered. It became obvious to me that it’s where I wanted to be.

T&G: You mentioned the process, how did it begin?

Tracy: It was the better part of a couple of months ago. That’s not to say the whole process was continuous, but I was informed mid-September that I wasn’t going to be renewed. So it was public knowledge that I was not going to be renewed with the Angels, and I was available at that point to talk with clubs. I was in touch with the Red Sox fairly quickly as a get-to-know-you thing. That’s where it started, and then there was a gap of time, but the phone calls started, and they decided they were going to put me through a process, it was a few weeks worth of calls with various people. It was very thorough and very impressive. The more you go through it, and the more people you speak to who are first-class people, you get pretty excited about it.

T&G: It’s rare to have a family considered baseball lifers at the professional level, and you’ve been around the game your entire life. You grew up in clubhouses and on the field, so what does that mean to you?

Tracy: A lot. It dates back to when I was 2- or 3-years-old. I have pictures of myself dragging a Wiffle Ball bat around minor league fields. I’m literally a lifer. My first memory is probably the early '90s when my dad was managing Chattanooga, so I was 5- or 6-years-old, and I have vague memories of that. It’s been in my blood since the day I was born, and it means the world to me, because there are a lot of things you learn, or pick up in this game as you go. I got older, and you learn from playing, you learn from coaching, but there are a number of things you pick up, and you don’t even know you’re learning it when you’re 7- or 8-years-old and you’re paying attention. There are a number of things I learned just by being inside the locker room, and how to behave and how to talk to players. I observed and watched over a lifetime of being around it. A lot of that type of stuff, I wouldn’t have had that same experience had I not been exposed to it as early as I was, so that stuff means the world to me.

T&G: The ultimate goal for anyone in baseball is to reach the big leagues, whether as a player, coach, manager, scout or front-office personnel, but because you have a unique experience in Minor League Baseball, what does that mean to you?

Tracy: I had 17 years (as a player, coach and manager) all in the minor leagues. As tough as that is to say, because I got really, really close as a player, I spent close to 400 games in Triple A. It was a long time playing there, and had some very successful seasons, but had my own set of limitations that prevented it from happening. That being said, my entire career up to this point has been in the minor leagues learning. Sure, everybody wants to go to the big leagues, but when you take a job, you pour your heart and soul into the job that you’re doing. The largest part of that job is about helping players achieve their dreams and getting them to Boston to help us win a World Series. I’m very passionate about that, because as a player I got so close. I could taste it, smell it, but I couldn’t quite get there, but I’m smart enough to look in the mirror and know why, and I have a good understanding of the full picture of what it takes. Any bit of that picture that I can paint for a player who is maybe trying to find his way like, ‘this is happening, but we’ve got to address this, because if we don’t address this it’s not going to work at the big-league level, and you’re not going to get the shot.’ Any player we as a staff in Worcester can help and pass that knowledge along, and identify the areas for them that they may not be aware they need to improve on, that is the ultimate goal to be able to see somebody achieve that. You have to have played to know how hard it is to be able to help somebody achieve that and to see the look on their face when they’re told they’re going to the major leagues. That’s the job, and that’s pouring yourself out selfishly to others, and I have ever intention of doing that.

T&G: Along those lines, communication is paramount, especially at the minor league levels, so how important is it to have that in your skill set as a manager to help these young players?

Tracy: I think it’s the most important. Most players, if not all players, would tell you whether you’re giving them good news, or bad news, most people, not just players, even if it hurts a little bit just want to be told the truth. They don’t want secrets. They just want to know the truth, because at least if they know. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out, but at least all the cards are on the table. It’s imperative, and it’s all I ever wanted as a player. I did not want a sugarcoated version. I wanted the truth. When these guys get (to Triple A) they’re so close. Some will play in the big leagues, and then there are some who need just one more piece to the puzzle that needs to get figured out, and they need to be aware of that. If you have to sit down and tell them that, or if they’re not recognizing that, you have to be the one to tell them, ‘Listen, you can hide from this all you want, but it’s there.’ That’s part of the job, and they need to know that because it’s their career. Communication is the most important part as far as building a culture in your locker room, and earning trust amongst everybody. Players need to feel like the staff has their back and their best interest at heart, and they’re not afraid to tell me the hard truth. That’s one of the most, if not the most crucial part of the job.

T&G: In today’s game, some believe analytics are a valuable resource, while some rely on the old-school mentality. Where do you fall when it comes to these two aspects of the game?

Tracy: I fall in the middle. I’m very grounded because I grew up in old-school concepts, but I’m also smart enough to know and recognize good information when I see it. I’m proud of the fact that I grew up around the game of baseball, growing up in a clubhouse, how to behave, and how to play the game the right way. So old school vs. new school sometimes bothers me. I think sometimes people use it as a crutch. If they look at a person and say, ‘this guy is over such-and-such an age’ they automatically say, ‘Oh, he’s old school.’ I don’t think that’s right. There was plenty of information I remember sitting at the table with my dad, paging through inside edge scouting reports. There was loads of information back in the day before “analytics.” It’s just the information is now a little more detailed from what it used to be. You have to be open-minded and receptive to what you’re seeing, especially if there’s information that’s going to help your players, and help you win a game, you should look into it. I have personal experience with a lot of it, and if it’s delivered in the proper way, it can be very helpful.

T&G: You know how passionate baseball fans are in New England, and you’ll quickly learn the deep roots of the game in Worcester. The WooSox are heavily involved in the community here, so when it comes to that aspect of the manager’s position, what do you think of that?

Tracy: It’s important. From a developmental side, part of being a major league prospect, and helping them become a major league player, they have to learn that, too. This isn’t just baseball. It’s not, especially in today’s era with social media. This isn’t just baseball development. It’s person development. Part of it is these young players learning to become, not only major league players, but good, quality people who carry over those same aspects up to the major leagues. I was reading Worcester won some awards this past year for their work in the community. I know they have a brand new ballpark, so they have an amazing setup, and sounds like an amazing staff in the front office, and they set up these opportunities, so it’s important as a coaching staff to talk to these players and encourage them to do some of these things, because part of building your résumé as a player is what you do away from the field. It’s critically important for their development as people, so when they get to the major leagues, you have a player, but we also developed a quality person who understands the importance of contributions in the community, and they become players that Red Sox fans can be proud of. That starts in the minor leagues, and we’re the last step on that ladder.

—Contact Joe McDonald at JMcDonald2@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeyMacHockey.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Get to know new Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy