Manager Andy Tracy reflects on the Columbus Clippers' 2022 season

Wednesday marked the end of the Clippers' season after five months of baseball. They finished third, behind Nashville and Toledo, in the International League West with an 85-64 record.  

The Clippers also had 16 of their players make MLB debuts. Will Benson, Peyton Battenfield and Xzavion Curry were just a few who spent time with the big club. Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan, who started their seasons in Columbus, are playing for the Guardians this postseason.  

“I think development is a major theme across the board in minor league baseball, especially with the Guardians, where we strive to develop really good players to help our major league team win a world title,” manager Andy Tracy said.  

Part of what helped Columbus succeed was Tracy's willingness to give players ample recovery time and occasional rest periods. 

“It was just a challenge coming off of a COVID year and then a shortened year the year before that, then adding games this year,” Tracy said. “The length of the season has gotten longer, and (players are) just trying to adjust their bodies to have a longer season and understanding what you can and cannot do throughout the season.”  

Columbus was particularly productive at the plate. As a club, the Clippers' hit 190 home runs, good for fifth in the International League. They also ranked fifth with a .258 team batting average. Their 855 runs and 805 RBIs led the IL, and they struck out fewer times (1,145) than any team. Benson had the highest OPS (.948) of any International League player.

While pitching was less of a strength, the Clippers were still in the top half of the 20-team league ranking No. 8 with a 4.40 ERA and No. 6 in strikeouts (1,365). Battenfield, who was Columbus' leader on the mound, ended the year with an 8-6 record, 3.63 ERA (No. 4 in the IL) and struck out 109 batters in 153 2/3 innings of work.

“Every day is a new day in this game,” Tracy said. “Challenges happen.. ... You look forward to coming to the field and the stadium every single day to compete, try to win a game and develop players.”  

Tracy also experienced some growth this season, especially because he was working with several new staff members in bench coach Kyle Lindquist, pitching coach Rigo Beltran, and the club's first-ever pitching strategist Cody Buckel. Jason Esposito was back as hitting coach.

“We’re all developing together. We continue to develop every single year and try to get better at what we’re doing and reevaluate what we did good and what we were challenged at for the next year.” 

And although they will all be watching Nashville and Durham competing for the Governor's Cup, which goes to the IL's champion, Tracy was fairly pleased with how things went in 2022.  

“Overall, I thought we had a really successful and healthy season here in Columbus,” Tracy said. “Credit to everybody in our player development system, working together, getting guys to maximize their abilities.”