Sean

Tracey

Tracey was supposed to drill Blalock after A.J. Pierzynski was plunked twice earlier in the contest, but he either didn’t know it or he blew it. Manager Ozzie Guillen removed him after the out and gave him quite a talking to in the dugout.

Tracey was doomed from the moment he failed to plunk Hank Blalock last night. As upset as Ozzie Guillen was about the incident, Tracey could be a candidate to be traded next month.

Tracey, 25, will be making his season debut after amassing a 3.18 ERA in nine starts and six relief appearance for Charlotte. He has a fair amount of promise as a reliever, but he’s unlikely to be an asset right away.

Tracey had a 5.83 ERA and a 29/29 K/BB ratio in 41 2/3 innings after being sent down in July. It’s unlikely that he’ll see much work in close games.

Tracey is 14-6 with a 4.07 ERA, 154 H and 106/76 K/BB in 163 2/3 IP for Birmingham. The K/BB ratio nearly makes him look like a non-prospect, but Tracey throws hard and gets grounders. He could be very good if he improves his command.

Tracey allowed two runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first start for the Saguaros. Since he put in a full season, throwing 163 2/3 IP for Double-A Birmingham, it was kind of a surprise that Tracey was assigned to the AFL. The White Sox might shut him down if he doesn’t turn it around soon.

Tracey is warming to the idea, probably because he knows it’s his best chance of reaching the majors anytime soon. He could be a longshot candidate for a spot in next year’s pen.

Tracey wasn’t able to win a bullpen spot, so he might go back to starting at Charlotte. He allowed six runs in 10 innings this spring. Almanza quickly fell out of contention for a job and finished the spring with 15 earned runs allowed in nine innings.

Tracey emerged as one of the White Sox’s better pitching prospects by going 9-8 with a 2.73 ERA, 108 H and 130/69 K/BB in 148 1/3 IP for Single-A Winston-Salem last year. He has a 1.32 ERA in five starts this year, but he’s still walking too many batters. He has a 19/14 K/BB ratio in 27 1/3 IP.

Tracey was sent down a month ago after he failed to hit Hank Blalock with a retailiatory pitch. He still has command problems, but he could be useful in middle relief. It won’t be tough to be an upgrade over what Cliff Politte had provided.