Baseball runs through Tracy's blood

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Chad Tracy made a conscious decision when he was a kid, or at least he thought he did. He knew he wanted to be a professional baseball player before reaching junior high school and nothing else but the game mattered, career-wise anyway. How he came to that decision is up for debate.

While Tracy, the designated hitter for the Class A Advanced Bakersfield Blaze, tends to believe he made the decision for himself, his background tends to suggest otherwise. His father is former Major League player and manger Jim Tracy.

And then there are his brothers, Mark and Brian, who also fell in love with baseball as children and still find themselves involved extensively in the game. So was Tracy's path already determined before he made his choice? Probably.

"My whole family is basically all about baseball," Chad Tracy said. "You have your dad to talk to and your brothers to talk to who are also very knowledgeable about the game as well. I think we were definitely born into the environment, but it was nothing, especially from my dad, that was ever forced on to me.

"My dad basically told me that if I don't have a passion for [baseball] and it's not in your heart, then you shouldn't do it."

But when your father is involved in the Major Leagues, it certainly isn't hard for a kid to make room in his heart for baseball. And that's exactly what Chad and his siblings did.

Love of the game was far from forced onto the Tracy children, it was merely inherited. And who could blame them? From early in their childhood they were surrounded by baseball, attended Major League games and got to experience the one-of-a-kind atmosphere on a fairly regular basis.

And it stuck to all three of them.

Brian, the oldest of the three at 24, is the pitching coach for the State College Spikes in the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League, where he is the youngest coach in the circuit. Mark is entering his junior season at Duquesne University.

"Since around fifth grade I knew I wanted to play baseball," Chad said. "As soon as I was surrounded by the environment I saw how fun it could be and I decided I have pretty much always wanted to do it. Since high school, I have been working hard toward making that goal.

"It's really hard to be put into that kind of environment and not want to do that. When you are around that kind of stuff all the time and you get to hang that, it's like, 'Why wouldn't I want to do this if I have a chance to do it?' So I decided I was going to work hard and try to achieve my goal."

Now that Tracy has advanced to the world of professional baseball, he has the perfect family to help give him that extra boost up to the Major Leagues.

However, Tracy describes his dad as a hands-off observer. Never will Jim interrupt a game or try to intervene at an inappropriate time. He is simply there whenever his son needs advice or a quick pep talk.

"It has been something that has been very beneficial growing up, even though it stinks a little bit growing up because you don't get to see your dad as much as you would like," Chad said. "At the same time, you got to be around that atmosphere and learned a lot from it. And anytime I'm struggling with something he is a phone call away to help me out.

"He really keeps his distance. He never really was a guy who would sit in the front row and be noticed. He likes to sit off behind the scenes, watch and take whatever mental notes he can from the game and then after the game we talk about it. He is really hands-on off the field as far as when we have personal time but has never been a guy who does anything during the game."

Given the right situations, having a father with managerial experience could be tough on a kid making his way up through the Minors. But Jim has been nothing but a help since Tracy's journey began in the Minor Leagues.

"As far as baseball education, he [Tracy] is one of our brighter kids. His knowledge of the game is pretty advanced for a kid his age," said Blaze manager Damon Berryhill, who spent 10 years in the Majors with the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta, Boston and San Francisco. "I ran into his father the other day and we actually had a nice conversation that had nothing to do with Chad. He is more hands-off and he trusts what we are doing down here."

Now in his third year of pro ball, Tracy has noticed his game has been progressing at an encouraging rate and is looking forward to opportunities to move up the Texas Rangers organizational ladder.

Entering pro ball, he was a catcher and since has gained experience in the outfield and at first base, increasing his value for higher level teams. This season, Tracy is hitting .269 with six homers and 40 RBIs.

"You just try to take something out of every year and try and learn something new all the time," he said. "I am still young, and you are always learning about your swing and I feel this year I have learned more about my swing than I have in a long time. I have I great feel for it and I know what I want to do when I go out there every time."

For Tracy, baseball is in his blood. Heck, the Major Leagues are in his blood. With more work with his father -- and in the Minors -- perhaps the Majors will be on his resume, too.