Bowling Green State University Athletics
Andy Tracy Thriving at Ottawa
June 15, 2006 | Baseball
June 15, 2006
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - After managing in the minor leagues for two decades, Dave Trembley knows the real deal when he sees it.
That's why he enjoys being around former Bowling Green High School and Bowling Green State University standout Andy Tracy.
Trembley is managing the Ottawa Lynx of the Class AAA International League. The Lynx played the first of a four-game series against the Toledo Mud Hens Friday night.
"What Andy is for me, he's a throw-back," Trembley said before the game, a 1-0 win in 10 innings for the Lynx. "He's a guy who grew up loving sports and still loves them. He comes to the park every day and wants to play and he's willing to help the younger guys. He wants to win and he cares about the team.
"I've managed in the minor leagues for 20 years and you don't get guys like that very often any more. They're kind of a rarity. When you get those kind of guys, you certainly appreciate them."
Tracy, now 32 years old, joined the Lynx, the top farm club for the Baltimore Orioles, after being traded by Cleveland to the Orioles in spring training. When Cleveland acquired Andy Marte from Boston in the Coco Crisp trade, Tracy became expendable.,
"They (Cleveland) actually treated me really well by trading me. They were really professional about it," Tracy said.
"It's a good organization and they obviously traded for me for a reason. That being said, I don't know what it is," he added about Baltimore. "They're giving me at-bats and that's all you can ask for right now is to play every day and get your at bats."
Tracy was 1-for-3 against Toledo Friday with his 15th double of the season and a walk. He's hitting .260 for Ottawa with 10 home runs, 34 RBI and 24 runs scored.
"I'm just trying to swing at strikes and put the ball in play. I've always struck out over my career. I know I'm going to do that. I've got to be able to get my pitches to drive and not miss them," Tracy said. "I've got my numbers back up and have started to hit for some power after I started slowly."
Tracy is the team leader in home runs, RBI and runs scored as Ottawa evened its record at 31-31 with Friday's win.
"He gives us a legitimate guy to hit in the middle of the lineup," Trembley said. "He's a guy who makes the guys who hit in front of him and behind him, a little bit better."
The four-game series in Toledo gives Tracy an opportunity to play before a large number of his family and friends. Before the game, he took time to sign autographs for members of a 12-year-old team on which one of his nephews plays.
"It's nice to see all my family. I've got so many nieces and nephews now and they all have kids," he said. "It's a little burdening sometimes with tickets, especially here in Toledo because they draw so well. It's not like going to the old stadium (in Maumee) and ask for a million tickets and they say sure.
"It will be nice to go down to Columbus, that's where I live, and sleep in my own house."
Tracy has 136 games of big league experience, playing in 121 games in 2000 and 2001 for the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) and 15 games at the end of the 2004 season for the Colorado Rockies. Tracy owns 13 career home runs and a .224 batting average in the majors.
He spent most of last season playing for the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles in Japan's Pacific League.
Now he's back in the International League hoping for another opportunity in the majors.
"They're pretty well set on the corners and with middle of the lineup guys. If they want a lefty off the bench or a guy who can help them later on down the road, I feel that I can help them," Tracy said about the Orioles. "They know I'm down here ... It's up to them as an organization. The organization has been really good with me."
Until then, Tracy will be putting a smile on Trembley's face.
"He's fun ... He's a young man playing a kids' game and you need more of those kind of guys," Trembley said. "I appreciate Andy and what he does.
"Obviously he comes from a real good family and has been brought up the right way. He understands about respect and responsibility and doing things right. We need more guys like that in the game."
Tracy could be returning to Toledo for the Class AAA All-Star game in July. Fans can vote for Tracy by going to majorleagebaseball.com and clicking on Triple AAA and then finding the voting for the all-star game.
