Jim Tracy (baseball)

James Edwin Tracy (born December 31, 1955) is a former professional baseball manager and player. He has managed the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Colorado Rockies. Tracy was named Manager of the Year in 2009, only the second manager to win the award after being hired mid-season, joining Jack McKeon for the Florida Marlins.

Jim Tracy
Tracy walking out to the mound to make a pitching change.
Outfielder / Manager
Born: December 31, 1955 Hamilton, Ohio
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 20, 1980, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1981, for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
Home runs	3
Runs batted in	14
Managerial record	856–880
Winning %	.493
Teams
As player Chicago Cubs (1980–1981) Yokohama Taiyo Whales (1983–1984) As manager Los Angeles Dodgers (2001–2005) Pittsburgh Pirates (2006–2007) Colorado Rockies (2009–2012) As coach Montreal Expos (1994–1998) Los Angeles Dodgers (1999–2000) Colorado Rockies (2009)
Career highlights and awards
NL Manager of the Year (2009)

Playing career

Tracy was an All-America baseball player at Marietta College, an NCAA Division III institution in Ohio. In 1976, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1]

He played as an outfielder for parts of two seasons with the Chicago Cubs in 1980–81. He also played two seasons in Japan with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales in 1983–84.

Managing career

Tracy worked as a minor league manager for several organizations including the Ottawa Lynx in 1994. He is featured as the manager of the 1988 Peoria Chiefs in the book "The Boys Who Would Be Cubs", by Joseph Bosco . Tracy later served as the bench coach of the Montreal Expos (under manager Felipe Alou), and the Dodgers (under manager Davey Johnson) in 1999 and 2000.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Tracy was manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2001 to 2005, compiling four winning seasons and a 427–383 record. With Tracy as manager, the Dodgers won the National League's West division in 2004 but lost 3-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series. On October 3, 2005, after finishing the season at 71-91, Tracy and the Dodgers agreed to part ways citing "philosophical differences."[2]

Pittsburgh Pirates

Tracy was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates on October 11, 2005. In two disappointing seasons in Pittsburgh, he compiled a 135–189 record. Tracy was fired by the Pirates on October 5, 2007.

Colorado Rockies

Tracy was hired as bench coach for the Colorado Rockies in November 2008.[3] On May 29, 2009, Clint Hurdle was fired with an 18–28 record, and Tracy was named to replace him.[4] Tracy led the Rockies to the postseason, with a 74–42 (.638) record after taking over as manager, but lost the NLDS to the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 3 games to 1. For his efforts in the 2009 season, Tracy was named Sporting News' NL Manager of the Year and the National League Manager of the Year as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. On November 19, 2009, Tracy was rewarded with a three-year contract extension.[5]

In 2010, the Rockies lost 13 of their last 14 games, collapsing from a 1/2 game deficit in the wild card race to finish 7 games behind an Atlanta Braves team that went 6-8 in the same span. In 2011, the Rockies began the season with an 11-2 record before finishing the season with a 62-87 (.416) run that landed them in 4th place.

After the 2011 season, the Rockies rewarded Tracy with an "indefinite" contract extension.[6] The Rockies went on to accumulate a 37-65 record (.363) through August 1, leading to a front office reshuffle that left Jim Tracy and his staff intact. Tracy resigned as manager of the Rockies on October 7, 2012, following a disappointing and injury plagued 2012 season that saw the Rockies finish 64-98, the worst record in franchise history.[7]

Managerial record

As of January 2, 2015

Team	From	To	Regular season record			Post–season record
			W	L	Win %	W	L	Win %
Los Angeles Dodgers	2001	2005	427	383	.527	1	3	.250
Pittsburgh Pirates	2006	2007	135	189	.417	0	0	–
Colorado Rockies	2009	2012	294	308	.488	1	3	.250
Total			856	880	.493	2	6	.250

Personal life

His oldest son, Brian, played baseball at UC Santa Barbara, and was drafted in 2007 by the Pirates. He is now a scout for the Pirates. His son Chad played in Triple-A for multiple organizations. He was the first catcher drafted in the 2006 draft when he was drafted in the third round. Chad, along with Bryan LaHair and Nick Stavinoha, led the Triple-A in runs batted in with 109 in 2011. He now manages in the minor leagues. His youngest son, Mark, also played minor league ball from 2010 to 2013.

See also

References

1. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
2. "Tracy out as Dodgers' manager". Associated Press. October 4, 2005.
3. Martin, David (November 18, 2008). "Colorado Rockies to Name Jim Tracy Bench Coach". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
4. Stapleton, Arnie. "Rockies fire manager Clint Hurdle". Yahoo! Sports. May 29, 2009.
5. Bernacchio, Adam (November 19, 2009). "Jim Tracy Wins NL Manager Of The Year, Inks Three-Year Extension". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
6. McCauley, Janie (February 21, 2012). "Rockies Manager Jim Tracy Has Indefinite Contract Extension". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
7. Harding, Thomas (October 7, 2012). "Tracy resigns his post as Rockies manager". Colorado Rockies. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2021.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

• Jim Tracy managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
• BucsDugout.com – article about Tracy's tendencies as manager of the Dodgers