The Tracy Turnaround is real.
Since Interim Manager Chad Tracy took over, the Red Sox are 57-41. That’s the fourth-best record in Major League Baseball and the second-best in the American League, behind only the Brewers (64-35), Rays (60-38) and Phillies (59-40).
Over that span, the Red Sox have a +104 run differential, second-best in baseball behind only Milwaukee (+122). Tracy also was at the helm for a franchise-record-tying 15-game winning streak, matching a mark last reached by the 1946 club. It’s just the 17th winning streak of at least 15 games in the last century and the longest in Major League Baseball since the Cardinals won 17 straight in 2021.
The proof is in the pudding.
Yet Tracy is still serving as the interim manager, something his players would like to see change.
“I think everybody would love for it to be away from where it is now,” Anthony Seigler said of the interim tag during his appearance with WEEI’s Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson as part of the 24th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, presented by Arbella Insurance (donate online here).
“I think he’s done a great job with us. He knows what we need to do. He knows how our bodies feel consistently. So for him to adjust schedules and just being able to talk to us and slow everybody down is huge. I think it would be an honor for him to take that away and just give him that manager title. He’s done a great job. I love him. I think I can speak for everybody in that clubhouse that he’s done a wonderful job of handling the situation. He hasn’t made it too big. He’s just helping bring us together and just win.”
One example of Tracy knowing his players and adjusting the schedule is how he handles their report times.
Back in late June, the Red Sox’s flight from Colorado was delayed, with the team not landing in Boston until 5 a.m. ahead of a home series against the Yankees later that night. Tracy pushed back the time players had to report to the ballpark so they could catch up on rest after the long travel delay. Since then, it has become a more common occurrence.
“Trace knows how our bodies feel,” Seigler said. “He has a great feel for the whole team. Whether you want to come in early, you still get that option, get in early and get your work in. But you also have the option to come in later. It definitely helps. We’re baseball players, it’s a long season. That extra time just gives us time —if we’ve got family in town, chop it up with them, if we’ve got friends in town, chill with them. It gives us stuff outside of baseball to do without having to be rushed.”
It’s that type of feel for the clubhouse that has made Tracy so popular with his players, and his results have made it clear he deserves the full-time job.
According to Kalshi, Tracy has the second-highest probability to win AL Manager of the Year, behind only White Sox manager Will Venable.
Only two managers have won the award while serving as an interim manager: Jack McKeon with the Marlins in 2003 and Tracy’s father, Jim Tracy, with the Rockies in 2009.
