By Will Kimmey
May 15, 2002

Chad Tracy

Can anything stop Chad Tracy from hitting?

Through his first 100 professional games, the Diamondbacks third base prospect had 142 hits in 394 at-bats. That's a .360 average, folks. What's more, he had registered hits in 75 of those games and collected 45 multi-hit contests.

And this season, still less than a year after Arizona selected him in the seventh round out of East Carolina, Tracy has been raking at an even more rapid rate. He leads the Double-A Texas League in hitting with a ridiculous .411 average and his name is plastered all over other places on the league leader board as well. And he hasn't even turned 22 yet (wait until May 22).

"The guy's a freak," Diamondbacks farm director Tommy Jones says. "This is the Texas League, not the Pioneer League or extended spring training. He's hit against unbelievable pitching."

Indeed, as five teams out of eight in the league have their organization's top pitching prospect in tow, and five squads carry ERAs lower than 4.00.

But Tracy doesn't care.

"I'm real comfortable in the box right now," he says. "I'm seeing pitches good, and the ball looks like a grapefruit."

And Tracy says it could continue, especially as long as he stays in the warm Texas climes. He says that he always started off slowly in college because of the cool weather in Greenville, N.C., during the early spring.

"Then when it warmed up," he says, "I'd have streaks like this one now. My cold weather and warm weather hitting would average out to about .360."

So the Red-hot Chad Tracy updates in Baseball America's Daily Dish might never stop. And that nickname might become a permanent one. For his part, Tracy says it suits him fine, but he won't pull an Adrian Gonzalez and claim he'll be at .400 in September. Not yet, at least.

"Although I have confidence in my hitting, I expect to struggle," he says. "I'm sure I will this year, but it hasn't happened yet. I'm sure it will, but hopefully it won't last long."

It shouldn't with the approach Tracy uses at the plate. Arizona scouting director Mike Rizzo compares Tracy's patient-but-aggressive style to that of another Diamondbacks prospect, Lyle Overbay. Tracy tends to focus on the fastball and adjust to offspeed offerings, but also scours scouting reports and his memory to remind himself what certain pitchers like to throw.

"I look for one certain pitch in one certain spot," Tracy says, "and when I get it, I don't miss it."

Then, more often than not, it turns into a base hit thanks to a sweet swing Rizzo compares to Robin Ventura's at the plate. In addition, Rizzo figures Tracy's bat speed should help him develop power as he progresses.

Defensively, Rizzo says the Ventura-Tracy comparison continues to hold true as both players possess quick hands and a strong work ethic.

Tracy is still learning the position, though--he played mostly first base in college. Howard McCullough, the scout who signed him, knew he had the skills to move to third. McCullough had an advantage over other scouts in that he was able to see Tracy develop through the years. He picked Tracy to play on his team in the East Coast Showcase when Tracy was in high school. And Tracy was also a college teammate of McCullough's son Clayton at ECU.

"I'm more comfortable over there," Tracy says of playing third. "Taking reps, seeing every kind of ball. I'm getting confident in every kind of play--backhand, charging, everything."

Jones has just as much confidence in his young third baseman. A 12-year veteran of managing in the minors, Jones has witnessed plenty of young hitters passing through. The first time he saw former Royals third baseman Kevin Seitzer play in Rookie ball, Jones says he knew Seitzer would be a major leaguer. Same with Tino Martinez in Triple-A. Born hitters.

Jones sees the same qualities in Tracy. "It's just a matter of time before he's an effective major league player," Jones says. "He's showing all the signs that he can be an everyday third baseman."

But can anything stop Tracy from hitting?

Not college, short-season, Class A or Double-A pitching. That's been proven so far.

Not a tweaked hamstring. A week ago, El Paso manager Chip Hale told Tracy he was getting the night off so his hammy could heal. But Tracy would have none of that. He pleaded his way into the lineup and went 4-for-4.

Not even a broken nose. Tracy took a bad hop off the sniffer days before his professional career started in Yakima. It killed him to sit out the season's first three games, but he finally made his pro debut with an RBI double.

And Red-hot Chad Tracy hasn't stopped hitting since.