COLUMBUS — Like many people in the baseball profession, now is a time of uncharted territory for new Columbus Clippers manager Andy Tracy.
As he awaits the opportunity to be a manager at the Triple-A level for the first time, Tracy is now forced to stay patient as the coronavirus pandemic plays out and stay ready for when baseball activities eventually resume.
“I'm extremely excited to be in the Cleveland Indians organization and have the opportunity to impact people at that level,” Tracy said. “Along with my staff, we are looking forward to helping support the big league team and our role of developing players to play in the big leagues.
“It's extremely weird for me, because baseball guys have never been home at this time. But I understand the importance of this for our community, our family, and our country. We just have to get through this and get baseball back as soon as we can and bring the nation back together.”
Tracy, who grew up in Bowling Green and was a star baseball player at Bowling Green State University, said right now the primary focus of the organization is on the health and safety of players, coaches, and staff members.
“Our organization is really good at collaborating in learning and development,” Tracy said. “We're doing a lot of learning and development things right now with conference calls. We are also staying in touch with our players and staff members to make sure everyone is healthy and safe. Our leadership does a really good job of being honest and open with us. They continue to have conversations with us across the board about what is going on and what the expectations are this year.”
Tracy, who had a 16-year professional career and played in the major leagues for parts of five seasons, got his first experience at the Triple-A level with the Columbus Clippers last season as the hitting coach after previously spending time as the minor league hitting coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I think the biggest thing I learned was just to be honest with players and let them know exactly what you are thinking and what you are feeling,” Tracy said. “If they have the ability to give honest feedback back to you as a coach, then there's no hidden agenda or egos. We're on the same page. I just want help players reach their dreams and goals of playing in the big leagues.”
Tracy played four seasons at Bowling Green and was an All-Mid-American Conference performer in 1996. He was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 2006.
He said his experience playing for the Falcons, as well as his youth days at parks in Bowling Green and his time at Bowling Green High School, helped shape his playing and coaching career in professional baseball.
“I can go all the way to back to my youth days playing at the park and all the coaches that I played for and moving on to my high school athletics and all the coaches I played for there, and continuing on to BGSU,” Tracy said. “It was a process across the board. I'm still learning and still growing as a coach and an individual. All those coaches set a foundation for me to love the game and love the players and try to give everything I can to make them become successful individuals.”
As Tracy's professional playing career was winding toward an end, he recognized that going into coaching could continue to help fulfill his passion for the game.
“I knew I wanted to coach probably after I played for a while,” Tracy said. “When you are playing, you think you are going to play 10 years in the big leagues and make a ton of money and then get out. Once you come to a realization of who you are as a player, I really knew I wanted to be a coach and help guys develop and maximize all their tools.”
While under normal circumstances Tracy would already have his first game as Clippers manager under his belt, like many in this country, he is looking forward to a time when baseball can resume.
“I think it will be huge for not only the community but for our players and I think it will be huge for our country as a whole to see some live sports on TV,” Tracy said. “I think it will be really important for the game to support the community at this point.”
First Published March 29, 2020, 10:08 p.m.
