Chad Tracy does a very important job for the Red Sox.
As manager of their Triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox, also known as the WooSox, it’s his responsibility to prepare the organization’s top prospects for their future, and help injured and demoted Major Leaguers work their way back.
And he has to get the job done in the ever-rainy Worcester, where he’s lost count of how many rain delays and postponed games his squad has weathered this season. In April alone, the club postponed six games due to inclement weather or wet grounds.
When a torrential downpour forced the WooSox to postpone yet again on Thursday, the skipper sat down with the Herald to discuss two of the organization’s brightest stars, one who’s knocking at his debut’s door, and another making his case for American League Rookie of the Year.
Red Sox executives already considered their No. 2 prospect a Major League-caliber defender, but plate discipline was among the areas in need of improvement.
But Ceddanne Rafaela has been putting the puzzle pieces together since his promotion from Double-A Portland on June 28. Over 35 games (entering Saturday) at the top level of the farm system, Rafaela is hitting .317 with a .363 on-base percentage and .662 slugging. He’s collected 46 hits, including 10 doubles, a pair of triples, and 12 home runs, scored 26 times, and driven in 33 runs.
Over his first 10 games of the month, Rafaela had 13 hits, including two doubles and six home runs.
“There’s still things to work on, obviously,” his manager said. “But even watching him, as good as he is, watching him from right before the Fourth of July, to now, just a little over a month, watching him develop before our eyes, his swing decisions and the at-bats he’s taking now, it’s electric.
“When he first got here, there was a lot of free swing, and there was a lot of chase, more than there is now. He’s really made a conscious effort to hone in on what he’s swinging at, and not coincidentally, it got a lot better.”
From a defensive standpoint, Tracy feels Rafaela’s Triple-A time is mutually beneficial.
“His defense is sensational, and everybody knows that, it’s well-documented,” he said. “He’s teaching me. Just watching him, the way he goes about his business.”
“There’s little things we help them with as far as positioning, making sure you’re in the right spot, right? But from a skill set perspective, there’s not a whole lot extra to teach him.”
The WooSox entered Saturday 22-14 since the second half of the International League season began, one game behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Worcester is 7-2 in its last nine games, in large part due to Rafaela, who set a club record by homering in each of the first five games of the month.
“He’s very competitive, very, very competitive,” Tracy said emphatically. “Very strong desire to win, individually and for our team. Doesn’t like getting beat in an at-bat, doesn’t like when we lose. Just a very, very competitive guy that likes to come out on the winning end of things, which is awesome. He’s very driven.”
Last season was Tracy’s first managing the WooSox, and Triston Casas’ last leg of the minor leagues before getting promoted that September.
This year, Casas made the Red Sox Opening Day roster, but struggled early. He’s improved by leaps and bounds each month, and since the All-Star break, has been one of the league’s best hitters. Entering Saturday, his 10 home runs since the break lead the American League, and his .772 slugging percentage over that span leads the Majors.
Only seven players in franchise history have homered 10+ times in a 25-game span before turning 24, and only 11 Red Sox hitters under 24 have homered 19 or more times as rookies, putting Casas in the elite company of Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro, among others.
“People often forget, even though you see it happen every year, there’s a learning curve at the Major League level,” Tracy said. “Even really good players, there are some that break the curve and just go up there, but most guys have an adjustment. We saw it with Jarren Duran, too. There were a lot of things going on, but he trusted the process. And now people are like, ‘Why isn’t he playing? We gotta get this guy out there!”
“Any time I see any of our players go up there, a part of me knows how it’s going to go,” he continued. “They’re going to have to learn how to fight through it, and even though there’s gonna be a lot of noise surrounding them, just keep playing the game and keep learning. (Casas and Duran) are contributing, they’re big contributors.”
Over 25 games between March and April, Casas hit .133 with a .576 OPS. He hit .349 with a 1.199 OPS in July.
“It’s the Major Leagues. It’s hard here, it’s even harder there,” the WooSox manager said. “So for me, watching Triston, seeing that progression is a great thing because it means you have a player that’s learning. He’s understanding how pitchers are attacking him, he’s adjusting to the velocities, getting used to it. And over the last couple of months, he’s done a lot of damage, which is what he’s capable of doing.”