| Jim Tracy | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Tracy with the Colorado Rockies in2010 | |
| Outfielder /Manager | |
| Born: (1955-12-31)December 31, 1955 (age 69) Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: July 20, 1980, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| NPB: April 9, 1983, for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: September 30, 1981, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| NPB: April 8, 1984, for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .249 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 14 |
| Managerial record | 856–880 |
| Winning % | .493 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .301 |
| Home runs | 20 |
| Runs batted in | 68 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Edwin Tracy (born December 31, 1955) is an American formerMajor League Baseball (MLB)manager and player. He played for theChicago Cubs in 1980 and 1981, and has managed theLos Angeles Dodgers,Pittsburgh Pirates, andColorado Rockies. Tracy was namedManager of the Year in 2009, only the second manager to win the award after being hired mid-season, joiningJack McKeon for theFlorida Marlins.
Tracy was an All-America baseball player atMarietta College, anNCAA Division III institution inOhio. In 1976, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theChatham A's of theCape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[1][2]
He played as anoutfielder for parts of two seasons with theChicago Cubs in 1980–81. He also played two seasons in Japan with theYokohama Taiyo Whales in 1983–84.
Tracy worked as a minor league manager for several organizations including theOttawa Lynx in 1994. He is featured as the manager of the 1988Peoria Chiefs in the book "The Boys Who Would Be Cubs", by Joseph Bosco[1]. Tracy later served as the bench coach of theMontreal Expos (under managerFelipe Alou), and the Dodgers (under managerDavey Johnson) in 1999 and 2000.
Tracy was manager of theLos Angeles Dodgers from2001 to2005, compiling four winning seasons and a 427–383 record. With Tracy as manager, the Dodgers won theNational League West division in 2004 but lost 3-1 to theSt. Louis Cardinals in theNational 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."[3]
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.
Tracy was hired asbench coach for the Colorado Rockies in November 2008.[4] On May 29, 2009,Clint Hurdle was fired with an 18–28 record, and Tracy was named to replace him.[5] Tracy led theRockies to the postseason, with a 74–42 (.638) record after taking over as manager, but lost theNLDS to thePhiladelphia Phillies by a score of 3 games to 1. For his efforts in the 2009 season, Tracy won the National LeagueManager of the Year Award as voted on by theBaseball Writers' Association of America. He was also named the NLManager of the Year byThe Sporting News. On November 19, 2009, Tracy was rewarded with a three-year contract extension.[6]
In 2010, theRockies lost 13 of their last 14 games, collapsing from a1⁄2 game deficit in the wild card race to finish 8 games behind anAtlanta 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 the2011 season, the Rockies rewarded Tracy with an "indefinite" contract extension.[7] 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 2nd worst record in franchise history.[8]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| LAD | 2001 | 162 | 86 | 76 | .531 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| LAD | 2002 | 162 | 92 | 70 | .568 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| LAD | 2003 | 162 | 85 | 77 | .525 | 2nd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| LAD | 2004 | 162 | 93 | 69 | .574 | 1st in NL West | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (STL) |
| LAD | 2005 | 162 | 71 | 91 | .438 | 4th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| LAD total | 810 | 427 | 383 | .527 | 1 | 3 | .250 | |||
| PIT | 2006 | 162 | 67 | 95 | .414 | 5th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 2007 | 162 | 68 | 94 | .420 | 6th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
| PIT total | 324 | 135 | 189 | .417 | – | – | – | – | ||
| COL | 2009 | 116 | 74 | 42 | .638 | 2nd in NL West | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostNLDS (PHI) |
| COL | 2010 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 2011 | 162 | 73 | 89 | .451 | 4th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 2012 | 162 | 64 | 98 | .395 | 5th in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| COL total | 602 | 294 | 308 | .488 | 1 | 3 | .250 | |||
| Total[9] | 1,736 | 856 | 880 | .493 | 2 | 6 | .250 | |||
Tracy's oldest son, Brian, played baseball atUC Santa Barbara, and was drafted in 2007 by the Pirates.[10] Brian later became a scout for the Pirates.[11] SonChad played in the minor leagues for eight seasons, including four seasons in Triple-A for three different franchises.[12] Chad, along withBryan LaHair andNick Stavinoha, led Triple-A in RBIs in 2011, with 109.[13] Chad later became a minor-league manager.[14] Youngest son Mark also played minor league baseball from 2010 to 2013.[15]
In 2003, he was in the audience during a taping ofThe Price Is Right and was introduced to the crowd by then hostBob Barker.
· Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Peoria Chiefs Manager 1987–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chattanooga Lookouts Manager 1989–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Harrisburg Senators Manager 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ottawa Lynx Manager 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Los Angeles Dodgers Bench Coach 1999–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colorado Rockies Bench Coach 2009 | Succeeded by |
