The American Spectator

Jim Tracy resigned as manager of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday despite having a year left on his contract.

The Rockies finished in last in the NL West in 2012 with a 64-98 record, the worst in the franchise’s twenty year history.

Tracy replaced Clint Hurdle (who now manages the Pittsburgh Pirates) as Rockies manager in May 2009 and guided them to the NL Wild Card earning him NL Manager of the Year.

The Rockies were in contention for most of the 2010 season but faded late in the season while the past two seasons have seen the team finish below .500. The Rockies star player Troy Tulowitzki was limited to 47 games this season due to injury.

Tracy was apparently unhappy with the involvement of the front office in managerial decisions most notably when the team adopted a four man starting rotation whose members were subject to a limit of 75 pitches per start. Their winningest starting pitcher was Jeff Francis with six wins. 

Prior to managing the Rockies, Tracy had big league managerial experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2001-2005) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (2006-2007). In addition to the NL Wild Card triumph with the Rockies in 2009, Tracy led the Dodgers to a NL West title in 2004.