Chad Tracy Receives Player of the Month Award
9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Jason Cole of LoneStarDugout.com
Chad Tracy has been one of the top hitters in the Texas League - if not all of Double-A baseball - ever since the All-Star break, and August was his best month yet.
During his excellent August, Tracy broke the single-season Frisco RoughRiders runs batted in record. He currently has 105 RBI's with about one week left in the season.
On the year, Tracy has slugged 30 doubles and a league-leading 25 home runs.
Early in the season, Tracy looked to be a shell of his former self. The Pepperdine alumnus was key for Frisco down the stretch in 2008, batting .344 in 24 games with the Double-A club.
But Tracy hit just .241 in the first half with the 'Riders this season, showing just average power.
That power has returned in the second half. The 24-year-old batted .333 [39-for-117] with 10 doubles, eight home runs, and 27 RBI's in 29 August contests. Those impressive statistics led to a 1.004 OPS.
With 40 doubles and 17 home runs last season, Tracy was known as more of a gap-to-gap power guy, though he could also hit his share of home runs. This season, the ball has been jumping off the bat in a different way for Tracy, and his home run power appears to be developing.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound first baseman is beginning to look like he could develop into a useful big-league hitter, but questions remain about his defense. Tracy is in his first full season at first base, and while there is still plenty of work to be done, he has shown steady improvement as the season has progressed.
