 06/04/2002 9:23 pm ET
Dodgers draft manager's son
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
• Dodgers round-by-round picks
LOS ANGELES -- The last time the Dodgers drafted a player as a "favor" to the
manager, they lucked into future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza in the 62nd round.
Tuesday in the 21st round they drafted Brian Tracy, son of current manager Jim
Tracy, a right-handed pitcher from Claremont High School. The 18-year-old Tracy
is built like his father, a lean 6-foot-4 with a loose arm and a fastball in the
mid-80s that should improve as he matures.
Scouting director Logan White said the club has already run into an obstacle
trying to sign the kid.
"We're trying to educate the father about professional baseball, but we're not
getting anywhere," joked White. "If we could just get the father to understand
what this is all about, we'd have a better chance."
Actually, White concedes he has virtually no chance of signing Tracy because he
has a scholarship to UC Santa Barbara.
"I doubt it, because he's such a good student," said White.
The father was proud of his son.
"He's made a lot of progress over the course of the last couple of years and he
still has a long ways to go," Tracy said at Coors Field. "He's only 18 years
old, he's a very nice project and the fact he's almost 6-5 with big hands and a
pretty good delivery to work with, the potential's there but he's the guy who
has to take it the extra mile. His work ethic, to get himself over the hump,
that's up to him. He's heard that speech before."
White said this was not "a courtesy pick," and Tracy said he's been assured his
son's selection was not a "favor" to the manager.
"I'm just glad I heard the fact that they didn't do this as some favor toward
me, because I'd have been very disappointed if that's the way it turned out,"
said Tracy. "The Los Angeles Dodgers organization doesn't owe me anything like
that. I want him to know their interest was because of what he is as an
individual."
White said he talked to the manager about his son's interest in going to junior
college and signing before next year's draft. Tracy said his son is interested
in medicine and committed to getting a college education.
"He also, I think, is interested in proving a point athletically and I don't see
that as being a problem," Tracy said.
Ken Gurnick covers the Dodgers for MLB.com. This article was not subject
to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.
|
News
