'We want them to stay up there:' Andy Tracy uses Triple-A history to lead Columbus Clippers
Colin Gay
Andy Tracy doesn’t have a favorite Major League Baseball call-up moment. Each one is special.
It’s not a moment the Clippers manager likes to build up. He simply relays the message and gets out of the way, giving the Cleveland Guardians’ newest call-up the chance to react in whichever way he wants.
Tracy’s message to the player doesn’t change either. It’s the same one he heard when he was called up for the first time: just be yourself and continue the work. It isn't the end, but the beginning.
“We want them to stay up there,” Tracy said.
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It's something Tracy fought throughout his 16 years of professional baseball.
He played in only 149 major league games split between the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies, spending 1,101 games in Triple-A, right on the cusp, just like his players currently on the Clippers are.
Tracy said he always saw that light at the end of the tunnel. He always viewed himself as a major league option for the organization he was a part of. If he hadn’t felt that way, he wouldn’t have continued playing for as long as he did.
But over the course of 11 seasons at the Triple-A level, Tracy learned about himself, as a baseball player and as a person.
“You learn about failure,” Tracy said. “You learn about who you are as a person, how to challenge yourself daily, how to prepare daily and disappointment. There’s a lot of disappointment in Triple-A, and how you handle that disappointment and failure and continue to execute every single day in front of people that are judging you.
“You have to look inward and find out who you are.”
Andy Tracy spent much of his professional career in Triple-A
When Tracy was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 28th round of the 1995 draft out of Bowling Green, the Triple-A players were the ones he looked up to.
They were the ones on the back fields, the ones he approached to ask questions about their experiences and preparation.
To Tracy, those players were as close as possible to his ultimate goal.
“When you get to Triple-A, you have the opportunity to be around major league players, and there’s nothing like playing in the big leagues,” Tracy said. “That was the ultimate goal. And when you get that close or this close as we are here with our players, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Tracy first made that jump from Triple-A to the majors in 2000. After hitting .308 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs through his first 55 games with the Ottawa Lynx, he spent 83 games with the Expos — his longest stint with a major league team in his 16-year career — hitting .260 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs.
By 2001, Tracy was back in Triple-A, getting 38 games with the Expos later in the season and struggling, hitting .109 with 26 strikeouts and only two extra-base hits.
After the 2001 season, Tracy played in only 28 more major league games between the Rockies and Phillies, getting only 33 more plate appearances.
“When you add that third deck and you have the environment, and the players are better up there,” Tracy said, “you are going to find out who you are quickly and make adjustments or you don’t make adjustments. That’s kind of why I was an up-and-down guy. Maybe I didn’t play as well as I should, but that’s just the opportunity I had.”
How Andy Tracy became a Triple-A manager
As he got older, Tracy’s role in Triple-A changed.
He began to be the veteran in the clubhouse. He was that player on the back fields, answering questions, giving advice to younger players on the roster. This proved to be a smooth transition into coaching when his playing career was complete.
“When you play until you are 38, it’s kind of hard to find a job outside of this profession,” Tracy said. “My wife was willing to let me stay in the game, and I’m here still right now.”
After spending seven seasons with the Phillies organization, Tracy was hired as the Clippers’ hitting coach before being promoted to manager before the 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Triple-A game has changed since Tracy was a player, with the emphasis turning more toward developing younger talent instead of housing those up-and-down options like he was.
But the atmosphere surrounding the level remains the same, mirroring the Guardians in preparation and on-field play, while facing better players on a daily basis.
“You’re dealing with families and people’s money,” Tracy said. “You have to be cognizant of some guys are here, they will be your friend and teammate, but they are trying to make money for their family. And their goal is to get back up as fast as they can.”
Triple-A baseball has become Tracy’s life. And with a family established in Lewis Center that he can now see “50% of the time” and an organization that focuses on individual player success leading to team success, it’s a life Tracy is satisfied with.
“Everybody wants to be in the big leagues,” Tracy said. “But if my calling is to help develop players my whole life, I’m good with that.”
Cubs at Clippers
When: 6:15 p.m. TuesdayRadio: 920 AM