Jane Lee
Sports Editor
When most youngsters get drafted by a Major League Baseball team, it’s natural for them to think about what they could do with that six- or seven-figure signing bonus.
After all, these players are high school and college students who aren’t used to seeing a paycheck because most of their life has been spent turning double plays and hitting ball after ball at the batting cages.
And when asked what they’re most looking forward to buying first, the most common answer is a car. Some may even want a new set of golf clubs or a big screen, but not junior Chad Tracy.
“I actually need a haircut,” said the Pepperdine catcher who was drafted by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. “It’s been getting pretty long so I think I’ll do that.
“I’m not going to go out and just buy an Escalade because I don’t need those type of things. The signing bonus is a blessing, so it would be foolish to go out and spend it on something like a car when I could put it in savings.”
Ask any of his friends and family, and they’ll tell you that’s just the type of guy he is.
The always-humble Tracy is also the type who will be missed dearly by his Pepperdine coaches, teammates and fans as he leaves Malibu to chase his dreams.
Taken 88th overall in the third round by the Rangers, Tracy was one of five Pepperdine players drafted in this year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Senior pitcher Paul Coleman, who waited at his home with Tracy on the day of the draft, was taken in the 12th round (353rd overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“It was more nerve-racking for Chad just because he’s a junior and he had more options,” Coleman said. “But when I got my call, I was definitely excited.”
Joining Coleman and Tracy in the draft was junior Justin Tellam (14th round/Houston Astros) and seniors Nick Kliebert (25th round/San Diego Padres) and David Uribes (32nd round/Cleveland Indians).
Tellam, who was in his first season at Pepperdine after transferring from UNLV, had an immediate impact on the Waves’ team, leading everyone with eight home runs while also guiding the offense in the playoffs with a .500 postseason average.
Meanwhile, Uribes also had an unforgettable season as the Waves’ second baseman. The Indian draftee was a unanimous first-team All-WCC selection and was having what some would argue an All-American-worthy season until suffering a season-ending knee injury in the final week of the regular season.
Uribes, who finished his college career with a .333 average and started every game of his career before suffering the injury, now stands as the WCC’s all-time hits leader with 328 and ranks first in Pepperdine history in at-bats (986), runs scored (232) and is third in games played with 241.
Teammate Kliebert, who also put together a career-year and was named first team All-West Coast Conference, was watching TV in the living room at his mom’s house in Long Beach when he received the call from the Padres organization.
“When I got the call I didn’t recognize the number, so that was my first clue,” the Waves’ first baseman said. “It was really exciting and it’s just something you wait your whole life for.”
And while Tracy will be getting that haircut which Kliebert and Coleman both agreed he could use, Kliebert had something else in mind for his first paycheck.
“Well I didn’t get as much as Chad,” he said with a laugh, “but I’ll probably take my mom out to a nice dinner and then save the rest.”
Sealing a deal with the Padres on Thursday, Kliebert will be heading to Peoria, Ariz. on Sunday to start training with the Peoria Padres in the Arizona Rookie League.
As excited as he is, Kliebert said he’ll miss “the beautiful field and all the fun times I had with my teammates at games, practices and the road trips.”
Tracy echoed his words, saying that his Pepperdine teammates “are some of the best friends you could ever ask for.”
“The hardest thing about all this is leaving my teammates,” Tracy said. “I had to return my equipment and as I was leaving the locker room and walking off the field for the last time, I just realized I was leaving my best friends.”
The end of one journey, though, always means there’s a beginning to another, and Tracy is more than ready to start that next voyage.
“It’s all kind of settling in,” he said. “On the day of the draft I probably got about 900 phone calls and everything was happening so fast, but I packed up and now I’m back home with my family and just waiting to see where I go.”
Tracy, who already went out and bought a couple of Texas Rangers caps, said going undrafted out of high school had a huge influence on his successful three-year career at Pepperdine.
“In high school there was always talk of whether or not I would get drafted, but when that didn’t happen I told my parents that I was going to work as hard as I possibly could and I was going to be an All-American,” he said.
Needless to say, it was no surprise that Tracy’s dedication and love for the game earned him second team All-America honors just two years later.
But leave it to Tracy, the son of current Pittsburgh Pirates manager Jim Tracy, to make it a point to thank and credit others for his success.
“I told my coaches that they were the biggest reasons for my success,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without all four of the Pepperdine coaches because they’ve just been amazing for me.”
Head Coach Steve Rodriguez said he considers it a blessing to be able to coach players like Tracy who work hard enough to be drafted.
“Having five players drafted is a great testament to our coaching staff,” Rodriguez said. “I loved coaching them, and now they have a chance to better their careers and get paid to play baseball.
“I wish them the best, and as a former major league player, I know it’s not an easy road.”
It may not all be smooth sailing over the next couple of years for the five drafted Waves, but they’re pumped and ready for the uphill battle that awaits them.
And what better way to celebrate than with a haircut or a dinner with mom?
06-09-2006
