WooSox Hall of Fame to Enshrine Four in Class of 2026
IL Worcester Red Sox

WooSox Hall of Fame to Enshrine Four in Class of 2026

Published on May 21, 2026 under International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


WORCESTER, MA - The WooSox Hall of Fame will this year enshrine founding Worcester Red Sox President Dr. Charles Steinberg, former Worcester Red Sox and current Boston Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy, former major league sensation and Central Massachusetts native Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, and Worcester civic leader Gene Zabinski, who shepherded the gathering and mailing of more than 10,000 postcards inviting the Pawtucket Red Sox to move up the Blackstone Valley to the Heart of the Commonwealth. Both Fidrych and Zabinski will be inducted posthumously.

Steinberg, known as "Dr. Charles" in honor of his doctorate in dental surgery, this year celebrates his 50th Anniversary in professional baseball. The pioneer of ballpark entertainment and community initiatives has been the WooSox' president since its inception. The club received highest honors in 2025 as Baseball America's Triple-A "Organization of the Year" in its first year of eligibility.

Tracy was elected long before he received the call to Fenway Park during the WooSox' home game, Saturday, April 25. The skipper of winning seasons every year in Worcester was in his fifth season as WooSox manager when he was officially promoted to Boston Red Sox interim manager on April 26.

Fidrych, native of nearby Northborough, MA, took the majors by storm as the 1976 American League Rookie of the Year and became a box-office phenom, selling out ballparks at home in Detroit and throughout the American League.

Zabinski, who was nearing the end of his battle with heart disease when he spoke at the Polar Park groundbreaking on July 11, 2019, provided a poignant moment when he gently acknowledged, "I've done my job."

Peter Freund, CEO of Diamond Baseball Holdings, Inc., was instrumental in establishing the WooSox Hall of Fame shortly after DBH purchased the club from an ownership group headed by Red Sox Hall of Famer Larry Lucchino. As a result, Lucchino lived to see his election on February 27, 2024, before passing away exactly five weeks later, April 2, 2024.

The WooSox Hall of Fame recognizes the outstanding careers and contributions of former or current WooSox players, managers, coaches, broadcasters, and executives as well as others who have been instrumental in the young history of the club. From its inception, the Hall also celebrates the individuals and moments that have created such a rich and robust baseball history in the city and all of Central Mass.

This year's honorees are the third group of inductees. Joining Lucchino in 2024 were longtime Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus, Jr., and beloved Worcester native and Red Sox Hall of Famer Rich Gedman.

In 2025, the WooSox Hall of Fame enshrined renowned ballpark planner Janet Marie Smith, Worcester native and accomplished Major League Baseball executive J.P. Ricciardi, and Red Sox All-Star Jarren Duran, the first batter in the history of the WooSox.

This February, the third-ever WooSox Hall of Fame class was chosen by a 17-person panel, which includes club executives, print & broadcast media members, and business & community leaders. Details on events surrounding the 2026 WooSox Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Polar Park later this summer, will be announced soon.

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE ELECTEES

Dr. Charles Steinberg Bio

Dr. Charles Steinberg has had a decorated 50-year career in professional baseball that has earned him the reputation as one of the most innovative baseball executives ever. He has been a visionary when it comes to marketing initiatives, creating memorable ceremonies, introducing new forms of ballpark entertainment, connecting with community outreach, and bringing the fan experience to the highest level.

His career began as a 17-year-old high school intern from Gilman School with his hometown Baltimore Orioles, for whom he would work 19 years, and where he would become statistician to legendary Hall of Fame Manager Earl Weaver, rise to head of public relations, and - in 1980 - form a bond with Lucchino that would last until Lucchino's passing.

The duo went together from Baltimore with the Orioles to San Diego with the Padres (1995-2001) where Steinberg would rise to Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, and to Boston with the Red Sox (in 2002) where he spent 10 years during two stints as the club's Executive Vice President. After enjoying World Series Championships with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, he was named Executive Vice President/Marketing and Public Relations for the Los Angeles Dodgers (Chief Marketing Officer) and then became Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of Baseball for Public Affairs.

The Red Sox requested his return in 2012, where in 2013, he was instrumental in the Red Sox' response to the Boston Marathon tragedy, which included perhaps the most important ceremony of his career on April 20, 2013, immortalized by David Ortiz's unforgettable - and unrepeatable - exhortation. Thereafter, the club continued to embrace the heroes, survivors, and bereaved families, with the remarkable season culminating in a World Series Parade that paused at the Marathon Finish Line for a brief and tender tribute.

All told, Steinberg has earned seven championship rings including five World Series rings (one with the Orioles and four with the Red Sox), one American League Championship ring (with the Orioles), and one National League Championship ring (with the Padres). In addition, each of the four Major League clubs where he worked - Baltimore, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Boston - established attendance records during his tenure.

Starting in 2002, Dr. Charles helped orchestrate legendary ceremonies at Fenway Park, ranging from Opening Days to World Series parades, from the retiring of the numbers for Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz to the unveiling of statues for Carl Yastrzemski and "The Teammates."

Lucchino became Principal Owner and Chairman of the Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston's Triple-A affiliate) on February 18, 2015, and after that season, named Dr. Charles as President of the PawSox on November 5, 2015. The two would navigate the journey of the Boston Red Sox' Triple-A Club from Rhode Island to Worcester, announcing the decision to build Polar Park in a triumphant City Hall celebration on August 17, 2018. One month later, a "Grand & Glorious Civic Celebration" on September 17, 2018, saw a parade of Red Sox royalty walk a red carpet to formalize their arrival in Worcester.

Polar Park, voted "Best Ballpark in Triple-A Baseball" by Ballpark Digest and USA Today, has received rave reviews since its opening on May 11, 2021. Planted in the city's resurgent Canal District, the ballpark has drawn more than 2 million fans.

An innovative, compact, cozy downtown ballpark, the baby of Lucchino's five ballpark projects has helped revitalize New England's largest city beyond Boston. The WooSox are the only club in all of Minor League Baseball to sell more than 500,000 tickets each of the last four years (2022-2025).

Among Steinberg's greatest attributes has been his lasting connection to the communities where he has worked and lived. Charles has been instrumental in the creation of the Padres Scholars, Red Sox Scholars, PawSox Scholars, and WooSox Scholars programs, all of which provide substantial college scholarships to middle schoolers. There are more than 800 scholars coast to coast.

Another innovation, the WooSox Mentors program, led him to the steps of a school in Worcester where he met his future wife. Charles and his wife Kara, an elementary school teacher, now live in Worcester, where she has blessed him with three stepchildren (and two dogs).

For the past 10 years, Steinberg has also been Director of Sports Communication at Emerson College, among the first to create a Sports Communication major.

An accomplished musician and songwriter, Steinberg's compositions have contributed to the Polar Park soundtrack, with songs for each season (WooSox '21-'26) and each of the club's four mascots. His songs have been recorded by Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr, former Chicago lead singer Bill Champlin, Bob Cowsill (of The Cowsills), the Parkington Sisters, and Ray Charles protégé Ellis Hall, among others.

Steinberg wrote the words and music for theme songs for Wally the Green Monster as well as WooSox mascots "Smiley Ball," "Woofster the WonderDog," "Roberto the Rocket," and "Clara, the Heart of the Commonwealth."

In 2004, he accompanied Jimmy Buffett by performing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on the Fenway Park organ at his concerts September 10 and 12. That same year, Charles was also part of a group that sang on the Dropkick Murphys' song, "Tessie," (whose creation he spearheaded), and he had a cameo with Drew Barrymore in the Farrelly Brothers' hit film, "Fever Pitch."

As innovator of "The Fan Experience," a phrase he coined during the creation of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1991, Steinberg was the first to display the speed of each pitch in the ballpark, the type of each pitch, and the pitch total.

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Chad Tracy Bio

Chad Tracy was in his fifth season with the WooSox when he was pulled from the Polar Park dugout on Saturday, April 25, 2026 and informed he would begin managing the Boston Red Sox the next day. Tracy, the second manager in club history after Billy McMillon piloted the club's inaugural season in 2021, led the WooSox to winning seasons in each of his four years at the helm of the WooSox (2022-25) to become the first Red Sox Triple-A manager to accomplish that feat dating back to at least the 1930's.

"Trace" earned the 300th victory of his Worcester managerial career on August 31, 2025 to become the sixth manager to reach the 300-win plateau with a Red Sox Triple-A affiliate. Joe Morgan is the all-time leader with 601 wins in his nine years as Pawtucket Red Sox manager (1974-82), followed by other PawSox managers - the late Buddy Bailey with 502 wins in seven years (1993-96, 2002-04), the late Ron Johnson with 357 victories in five years (2005-09), Kevin Boles with 345 wins in his five years as Pawtucket manager (2014-18), and Ed Nottle with 302 wins (1986-90).

Chad also had 176 wins in three years as a Minor League manager in the Los Angeles Angels' system from 2015-17. His first victory with the Red Sox in his Major League debut on April 26, 2026 at Baltimore was the 500th win of his managerial career.

Tracy, who turns 41 on July 4, 2026, was named WooSox manager December 13, 2021. The 2022 WooSox were 75-73, then 79-68 in 2023, 79-71 in 2024, and 76-73 in 2025.

"Trace" sent a number of Worcester players to Boston during his tenure including, most recently, OF Roman Anthony, INF Marcelo Mayer, and LHPs Connelly Early & Payton Tolle who all earned their first-ever promotions to Boston during the 2025 season.

Other past or current Red Sox who have played for Tracy in Worcester include: OF Wilyer Abreu, RHP Brayan Bello, INF/OF Kristian Campbell, 1B Triston Casas, RHP Kutter Crawford, OF Jarren Duran, INF Romy Gonzalez, RHP Zack Kelly, RHP Tanner Houck, OF Ceddanne Rafaela, INF Nick Sogard, and catcher Connor Wong among several others.

Chad's 2024 WooSox set Red Sox Triple-A records with the busiest year of player moves in Red Sox Triple-A history (281 player transactions) and players appearing in a single season (84 including 37 position players and 47 pitchers).

"Trace" has been chosen by his peers in the International League as the "Best Managerial Prospect" in the league in a poll conducted by Baseball America during both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Tracy was a star catcher at Pepperdine University where he was the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2005 when he led the WCC with a .367 batting average. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the third round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. In nine professional seasons, all in the minor leagues (2006-13) and independent Atlantic League (2013-14), Chad hit .267 with 159 home runs and 706 RBI. He reached Triple-A in 2010 with Oklahoma City and in 2011 with Round Rock (both Texas Rangers' AAA affiliates) and had his best season with the Express in 2011 with 26 HR, 109 RBI, and 80 runs scored in 134 games.

Tracy began his managerial career in 2015 with Burlington (Iowa), the Angels' low-A affiliate in the Midwest League.

Jim Tracy, Chad's father, played in the Major Leagues and served as a big league manager for 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2001-05), Pittsburgh Pirates (2006-07), and Colorado Rockies (2009-12).

Chad currently lives in Fairfield, OH (just outside of Cincinnati) with his wife Emily and their 11-year-old daughter Avery and 7-year-old son Austin.

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Mark Fidrych Bio

Mark Fidrych, born in Worcester and a native of Northborough, MA who lived there his entire life, captured the attention of the baseball world - and much of the nation - during his rookie season of 1976 with the Detroit Tigers. Known for his quirky antics on the mound, Fidrych earned American League Rookie of the Year honors in 1976 after leading the major leagues with a 2.34 ERA while going 19-9 including 24 complete games.

He burst on the scene with both his unexpected performance and his unique, fun personality which featured him appearing to talk to the baseball before his pitches.

Fidrych suffered a torn rotator cuff in July of 1977 and the injury was not discovered until 1985. As a result, despite his valiant efforts, he was never the same, and his Major League career ended in 1980 after just 58 big league games.

The son of an assistant school principal, Fidrych played baseball at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, where the varsity baseball field was named in his honor following his passing in 2009, and at Worcester Academy.

In the 1974 MLB amateur draft he was selected in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers. He later joked that when he received a phone call informing him that he had been drafted, he thought he was drafted into the armed services, not thinking there were any Major League teams considering him.

Fidrych became a cult hero with fans for his antics on the field. He would crouch down on the pitcher's mound and fix cleat marks, in what became known as "manicuring the mound," talk to himself, talk to the ball, aim the ball like a dart, strut around the mound after every out, and throw back balls that "had hits in them," insisting they be removed from the game. He would also walk around to shake hands with the infielders after they made great plays in the field.

The lanky 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher was nicknamed "The Bird" because of his resemblance to the "Big Bird" character on the popular Sesame Street television program. The two appeared together on the cover of Sports Illustrated and to this day Fidrych is the only baseball player ever to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

On May 31, 1976, Fidrych pitched an 11-inning, complete-game victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Five days later on June 5, he pitched another 11-inning, complete-game victory over the Texas Rangers. On June 28th, Fidrych pitched before 47,855 fans at Tiger Stadium and a national television audience in the millions, as the Tigers hosted the New York Yankees on ABC's Monday Night Baseball. Mark earned a 5-1 complete-game victory which took only an hour and 51 minutes. Fans would not leave Tiger Stadium until he emerged from the dugout for a curtain call. After the broadcast, which was filled with plenty of "Bird" antics, Fidrych became a national celebrity.

He was named as the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1976 All-Star Game. After his sensational 1976 season, Mark's arm injury would limit him to just 27 more games with the Tigers between 1977-80 before he was released following the 1981 season.

He signed a free agent contract with his hometown Boston Red Sox and made an inspiring comeback attempt with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in 1982 and '83 appearing in a total of 32 games for the PawSox but finishing with an 8-13 record. His signature moment with the PawSox came on July 1, 1982 in one of the most famous pitching match-ups in Minor League history. Fidrych thrilled a McCoy Stadium record crowd of 9,389 fans (McCoy's capacity in those days was 5,800) by tossing a complete game to beat Dave Righetti, the 1981 AL Rookie of the Year with the Yankees who had just been demoted back to Triple-A, and the Columbus Clippers, 7-5.

However, Mark's torn rotator cuff, still not diagnosed and left untreated, never healed. At age 29, he was forced to retire.

In 1985, Fidrych went to famed sports medicine doctor James Andrews who discovered the torn rotator cuff and operated; still, the damage already done to the shoulder effectively ended Fidrych's chance of ever coming back.

Fidrych lived with his wife Ann, whom he married in 1986, and daughter Jessica on a 107-acre farm in Northborough. Aside from fixing up his farmhouse, he worked as a contractor hauling gravel and asphalt in a ten-wheeler. On weekends, he helped out in his mother-in-law's business, Chet's Diner, on Route 20 in Northborough; the diner was later operated by his daughter. He would also frequent the local baseball field to help teach and play ball with the kids.

Mark's life was cut tragically short on April 13, 2009 when he died in a freak accident while working on his ten-wheel dump truck at his Northborough home.

Mark's widow Ann and daughter Jess started the "Mark Fidrych Foundation" to honor his legacy through charitable giving. The Fidrych Foundation, an organization that enhances the lives of those with special needs through sports and sports education, and the WooSox have teamed up for several years to invite the Challenger League to Polar Park. The Challenger League is a baseball league for those with physical and developmental disabilities, and youngsters from several nearby towns had the chance to play on the field at Polar Park and attend a WooSox game. For more information about the Mark Fidrych Foundation please visit Markfidrychfoundation.com.

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Gene Zabinski Bio

The late Gene Zabinski, an impactful WooSox advocate, will forever be known as the "postcard maker" who, with his wife Donna, spearheaded a community campaign to woo the Pawtucket Red Sox to Worcester. His dream came true at the groundbreaking of Polar Park in his native Canal District in downtown Worcester, July 11, 2019.

Gene spoke eloquently at the ceremonial groundbreaking, but did not live to see the WooSox play. He passed away four months after groundbreaking, on November 29, 2019.

Zabinski, who grew up in the Canal District before eventually moving to Sutton, remained active in his former neighborhood as a member of the Canal District Alliance, serving as their treasurer from 2012-17 and then president from 2018-19.

In 2016 he read a story in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that the PawSox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, may need to look for another home if their bid to build a new ballpark in Rhode Island failed. Gene and Donna visualized a new downtown ballpark on the empty Wyman-Gordon site in the underdeveloped Canal District.

The two came up with the idea of a postcard campaign. Zabinski told the Telegram & Gazette at the time that they figured nobody would read letters or emails, so they instead created a colorful postcard depicting a beautiful new ballpark smack in the middle of the Canal District.

Gene and Donna, to their surprise, collected an impressive 5,000 signed postcards urging PawSox ownership to consider Worcester for their potential new home. Gene shipped those first 5,000 postcards directly to the PawSox offices at McCoy Stadium. Because the couple originally thought they wouldn't even come close to that figure, they quickly realized they had to order more.

Eventually, more than 10,000 postcards were sent to the Pawtucket Red Sox, and the campaign was hailed as an eye-opening factor in the team's ultimate decision to relocate to Worcester. In fact, the WooSox still have all the postcards stored in their offices and a display featuring a sample of the cards hangs on the wall of the lobby next to the Polar Park ticket office.

Eugene 'Gene' Zabinski was 73 years-old when he passed away quietly at home on November 29, 2019. He is survived by his wife Donna (Merrill) Trottier Decoteau, his first wife Judith (Menard), and their daughter Hadley.

Gene was the son of Roger and Julia Zabinski and grew up in the Kelley Square neighborhood of Worcester. He attended St. Mary's Elementary and High School and was a member of the basketball team who were known as the 'Kielbasa Kids'. The talented squad won the 1964 New England High School Basketball Championship at Boston Garden.

Zabinski attended Worcester Junior College and joined the United States Air Force. He returned home from service and graduated from Quinsigamond Community College and then Nichols Collage with a degree in Business Management and a major in Accounting.

Gene worked in the carpentry business and was part of a small team who constructed and remodeled buildings from Loon Mountain, New Hampshire to Martha's Vineyard. Upon retiring, he followed his passion doing historical research focused on the Blackstone Canal in Worcester.

When he passed away, rather than have a service or flowers, the family asked friends to "please continue to support the transition of the WooSox to the City of Worcester."

"We mourn the loss of our good friend Gene Zabinski, who led the campaign of 10,000 postcards painting the dream of a Canal District ballpark," the Worcester Red Sox said in a message following Gene's passing. The team offered condolences to wife, Donna and his entire family, and added, "We know his legacy will live on at Polar Park for generations to come."

It will indeed as a member of the WooSox Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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The WooSox Hall of Fame Classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 join members of the Pawtucket Red Sox Hall of Fame that was established in December of 2015. Eleven members were enshrined starting in 2016 through the PawSox final year of 2020: Owner Ben Mondor, 3B Wade Boggs, OF Jim Rice, Manager Joe Morgan, C Carlton Fisk, 1B Mo Vaughn, President Mike Tamburro, OF Fred Lynn, RHP Roger Clemens, INF Nomar Garciaparra, and C Jason Varitek.

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