Worcester announces 2022 coaching staff, with Chad Tracy as manager

The Boston Red Sox didn’t have too much work to do with their major-league coaching staff this winter, making just an internal change at hitting coach, though a new bench coach may be needed as well with Will Venable interviewing for the Oakland Athletics managerial gig. But down in Triple-A, Worcester parted ways with former manager Billy McMillon and needed to put together a new staff up top. They announced their 2022 staff on Monday, with Chad Tracy being announced as their new manager.

Tracy is not the former major-league infielder, though he did have a long professional career. Tracy bounced between the minors and indy ball, getting up to Triple-A in a couple of organizations but never quite getting into the majors. After retiring as a player, he joined the Los Angeles Angels organization as a manager. Tracy led three teams as manager, spending one year in A-Ball and two more in High-A, before taking a broader role as the Angels’ minor league field coordinator, helping to oversee their player development program.

Tracy is the son of long-time major-league manager Jim Tracy. He replaces McMillon, who had been managing for Worcester/Pawtucket since the start of the 2019 season.

Along with Tracy, Worcester also announced that they will be bringing on José David Flores as their bench coach. Flores, like Tracy, had a long minor-league career and has a plethora of coaching experience, both in the majors and minors. At the highest level, he served as the infield coordinator for the Chicago Cubs during the height of their recent run. More recently, he was in the same role with the Baltimore Orioles.

In addition to Tracy and Flores, Worcester will be keeping Rich Gedman and Paul Abbott in their previous roles as hitting and pitching coach, respectively. Gedman has been coaching in the Red Sox system since 2011, joining the Triple-A staff prior to the 2015 season. Abbott has been in the organization since 2010, though this past season was his first in Triple-A. (He was at the Alternate Site in 2020.)