Chad Tracy Chicago Cubs (7/5/2003)

What’s your baseball philosophy?  What got you this far?

What got me this far is the off season work that I put in everyday, never skipping a day, never going on vacation, sticking to my regiment, hitting everyday, lifting weights everyday, and running every day.

Even in the off season everyday?

Not every day, from about December on everyday I do some kind of hitting, some drills maybe.

What’s your hitting philosophy?

Well it changes from pitcher to pitcher. You never know what the guys trying to do to you. If you’ve faced him before then you know that maybe he likes to come at you with fast balls, so you go up there and you work off the fast ball. If he’s usually throwing you breaking stuff, or if it’s a lefty, they’re probably going to throw some curve balls and sliders.  So it changes from at bat to at bat.

What are your strengths right now?

Right now my strengths, I don’t strike out a whole lot but I guess just putting the barrel on the ball. Putting the barrel on the ball gives you a greater chance of getting a hit.

Pitchers throw inside to set hitters up. Do hitters set up pitchers?

I don’t. I’ve heard that some of the more veteran guys say they have done it before, but I’ve never really tried to set a pitcher up.  That’s just one more thing to think about while you’re up there. You may be trying to set him up and miss the pitch you’re looking for.

It seen at times that guys with all this talent, don’t seem to go as far as guys with lesser talent.  Do you think that’s true?

No, I mean guys with more talent sometimes takes longer to grasp the philosophies of hitting, or having their own plan but eventually one day they’re going to get a grasp on it and they’re going to be superstars. Whereas guys with not as much talent, they’re going to be good, they’re going to be good weekly players, but they never have a chance to be superstars like these guys with talent. Once the guys with the tools figure it out then you’re looking at putting up unbelievable numbers.

Do you think the first round draft picks get more chances?

I don’t know. I’m sure the organization has invested money in them, and I’m sure they don’t want to see that money go to waste, but it comes down to performance. If a guy is out performing that first rounder then you’ve got to win ball games too. The first rounder may get a few more chances to prove himself but what’s that $2 million in the long run when you’re signing a $10 million contract. So if you put up the numbers it doesn’t matter.

At spring training, you compete against a lot of guys, talented.  How do you approach that?

Well actually I was in minor league camp but I mean even in minor league camp you got guys over there who are great ball players. You’ve got to go out there and bust your butt everyday or somebody will take your job. You may have put up good numbers the year before but this guy behind you might put up great numbers this year. Then you go into spring training next year and you’re neck and neck. You’ve got to continue everyday to bust your butt, it’s not going to be given to you.

Does the chemistry in the clubhouse affect the team?

Oh yeah for sure. If guys get along and there’s no stress, no turmoil in the locker room, then you know you’re going to be more comfortable out there in the field. Guys that joke around, become friends, then they’re not nervous around each other and they play well together.

How important is weightlifting?

Oh very, you have to. You notice at the beginning of the year guys come in, what I come in about 205, 210 pounds, now I’m at about 195 pounds. You gradually loose weight during the season just because you don’t get to eat as good. You’re on the road eating fast food a lot, so you don’t have has much time so you lose strength. Definitely weightlifting, I’m a firm believer in getting in the weight room as much as you can.

That’s during the season?

Yeah, I’ll be in the weight room in the morning.

Do you read the sports page like in Baseball America’s Top 30?

Oh yeah you see that stuff sometimes but that doesn’t mean anything. You look at the guys they called up this year, like Robby Hammock, he’s up there absolutely tearing it up. You’re not going to find him on any prospect sheets. Prospect sheets are just for baseball fans to read and for fans to look at, it means nothing.

How do you handle the fans yelling and screaming and the loud mouths?

You have to block them out.  If you’re weak minded enough to let a fan get in your head then you shouldn’t be playing this game.

How about the umpires?  How do you handle the umpires?

Well I mean they’re human too, they do make mistakes. Every now and again I’ll say, “Is that as far out as you will go, as far in or up or down.” Sometimes they’re cool about it and sometimes they say yes, sometimes they say, “yeah, it’s in the black.” You can’t say too much, because you don’t want to get them on your bad side then you’re just kind of screwed yourself the rest of the year.

So that carries over?

They’re human too. I’m sure they hold grudges on some players, but I don’t really know. I hope they all like me because I don’t really say a whole lot to them.

What about brush backs, knockdowns and retaliations?

I haven’t seen any this year. I haven’t been brushed back on purpose I don’t think. I’m sure I’ve been brushed back but I mean the only reason stuff like retaliation happens is if you don’t play the game right. Most of these guys on our team play the game right. I’ve never been in a bench-clearing brawl because of it so I really don’t see it a whole lot.

When you’re hitting, the pitcher is going to pitch inside to you?

They’ve got to.

And sometimes you can get hit right?

You’ve got to, yeah. The pitcher has to pitch inside, I mean, that’s part of the game.

As a hitter you realize its just part of the game?

Well yeah, you know the situation if he is trying to hit you. There’s a difference. You can definitely tell a difference if the guys pitching inside or a guy is trying to hit you.

Any thoughts about being traded?

I haven’t thought about it. You’re actually playing for 30 other teams out there. While you’re in the minor leagues your ultimate goal is to get to the big leagues and of course I would love to be in the big leagues with the Diamondbacks, that’s who drafted me and that’s who I have my loyalty to, but also you don’t want to be stuck behind a stud if he’s going to be there for eight years, or ten years and not ever get your chance in the big leagues. Our ultimate goal for everybody is always to be in the big leagues. Whether it’s the Diamondbacks or somebody else its not really a big deal.

What would you tell a kid from high school on down about professional baseball?

It’s hard work, it’s a job, and you have to treat it like a job. It’s nine to five; we just work the second shift pretty much. Don’t think just because you’re playing professional baseball you’re going to go out there and play from seven to ten every night and be a good player. You have to put the work in the morning in the weight room, you have to put the batting practice in, the cage time on your own, and you have to figure yourself out. Mentally you’re going to struggle and you’re going to have to keep yourself sane so there’s a lot more to it then just going out there and taking BP and playing the game.