Now in his second week as the Red Sox’ interim manager, Chad Tracy is beginning to settle into the role.
That transition has been eased by two things: his familiarity with the roster and the leadership already inside the clubhouse.
“There are perceptions of we don’t have [leadership], but we do,” Tracy told WEEI’s Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson as part of the manager’s first weekly appearance with the show. “Trevor Story is a leader. Willson Contreras is a leader. Garrett Crochet is a leader. Like, there are plenty of them. Chappy [Aroldis Chapman], there are plenty. From my perspective, there was a bit of ease to it in the sense of I think there are 16 or something players, or maybe more including rehabs, that have played for me in Worcester. So my familiarity with the group was pretty high. And even some of the veterans that I hadn’t had, I spent most of the camp with them or multiple spring trainings with them.”
You can listen to the full interview below.
Tracy led the WooSox to winning seasons in each of his first four years in Worcester, becoming the first Red Sox Triple-A manager to accomplish that since at least the 1930s. Along the way, he managed more than half of Boston’s current roster, helping establish trust long before arriving in the dugout at Fenway.
“Coming in here and talking to the players, addressing the players, was honestly pretty low on the list as far as things I had to worry about,” Tracy said. “Because I had developed a pretty good rapport with a lot of them over the years, so that was just kind of reacclimating with them and that happened pretty quickly.”
Despite the team’s 15-21 start, tied for the fewest wins in the American League, Tracy said the energy inside the clubhouse hasn’t changed, with the group continuing to stay connected through the early struggles.
“We have an incredibly awesome group in here. Including the veteran players that have been around a while. Sonny Gray, Chappy, guys like that. They’re unselfish and willing to do whatever,” Tracy said. “They’re just egoless, really, really, really good people. So as far as people saying, ‘Oh, you are going to have to deal with this or that,’ no, I’ve dealt with nothing. These guys have welcomed me with open arms and have been incredible. And then you couple that and pair that with a whole plethora, you could say, of young players that I have managed for extended periods of time in the Minor Leagues and have gotten to know them really intimately over the time I had them – it’s a really fun group to be a part of.”
