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TopProspectAlert.com Minor League News & Autograph Blog HomeTop Prospect Alert - Chad Tracy By Schuyler DombroskeDOB: 5/22/80, Age: 22, Bats/Throws: L/R,
Height: 6’2’’, Weight: 190. Acquired: Diamondbacks - Drafted in the 7th
Round of the 2001 Draft (East Carolina). 2001 Stats: (Rookie - Yakima)
.278 AVG, 36 AB, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 SB, 3 BB, 5 K, .333 OBP, .306 SLG;
(Low-A - South Bend) .340 AVG, 215 AB, 11 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 3 SB, 19 BB, 19
K, .393 OBP, .447 SLG. 2002 Stats: (AA - El Paso) .373 AVG, 306 AB, 24 2B,
4 3B, 4 HR, 1 SB, 21 BB, 28 K, .408 OBP, .516 SLG.
Chad Tracy was a seventh
round draft pick out of East Carolina last season, and he has done nothing
but hit at every level since that day. In fact, if anything, Tracy has
gotten hotter at each step of the ladder. After warming up with a .639 OPS
in Rookie ball (only 36 ABs), Tracy put up an .840 OPS in close to half of
a season in the Midwest League in 2001. The Diamondbacks apparently
thought quite highly of him, sending him up two steps to the Texas League,
and he has responded with a staggering .924 OPS so far this year. Tracy is
a classic “see ball, hit ball” hitter, exhibiting extremely low walk and
strikeout totals. He is not really reminiscent of a Vlad Guerrero-type
hitter, because he has not shown a great deal of power so far, but 35
doubles in what amounts to one season’s worth of at-bats illustrate his
potential for home runs in the future. I would expect him to be able to
hit close to .300 in the majors after a normal period of adjustment. His
lack of plate discipline, however, is a major cause for concern. As
pitchers begin to figure him out, he will be forced to walk more or he
will struggle. This particular period of adjustment may not happen until
he reaches the majors, but at some point he will have to change a bit in
order to continue to succeed. The lack of that skill is what keeps him as
a second-tier prospect right now. In the running game, Tracy definitely
has below-average speed, but isn’t a horrible base clogger. On defense, he
is acquitting himself well as a converted first baseman. He may never be
Matt Williams with the glove, but his hands and range could both be above
average. His arm is a bit weak for third, but it should prove to be
adequate for an Arizona squad that won’t have a wealth of options.
I am not impressed with
the Arizona system at all, especially after the trade of Jack Cust (for
nothing!). They really do not have a position prospect that is a sure big
leaguer (Tracy and Cintron are closest), and their pitchers are all
relatively far off and raw. For a team that is as old as the D-Backs at
the big league level, that is a very ominous sign. Many people have a
tendency to ignore the severity of Arizona’s situation, but if you look
closely at their roster, they have three players that could realistically
be a part of a good team in five years: Byung-Hyun Kim, Junior Spivey, and
Erubial Durazo. Everyone else will be north of 35, and most of the
currently above-average players will be 39 or older. That should open up
plenty of holes for prospects, which means that a decent one like Chad
Tracy should certainly find some room to play. I do not think that he will
be a member of a very good team, but he should be playing. Tracy reminds
me of Sean Burroughs, except he gets the opposite end of the respect
spectrum. I will go out on a limb and say that of the current crop of
third base prospects and young third baseman in the game (Glaus, Crede,
Henson, Chavez, Blalock, Hinske, Ensberg, Beltre, Ramirez, Pujols sort of,
Burroughs, and Tracy), I would rank Tracy ninth and Burroughs tenth, with
Hinske and Crede directly above and Ensberg and Henson below them. Tracy
should be an above average player, and I expect he will develop enough
defensively to remain at third base. Whether or not he plays on a winner
in his career is another issue entirely.
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