ANDY LaROCHE

8/13/83; '03 39th (Los Angeles); Grayson County College
R/R; 6-1, 225

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2003 R+ (LA)	.211	.238	.263	19	1	0	0	1	4	0	0
2004 A+ (LA)	.237	.295	.434	219	13	0	10	17	42	2	3
2004 A (LA)	.283	.375	.525	244	20	0	13	29	30	12	5
2005 AA (LA)	.273	.367	.445	227	12	0	9	32	54	2	2
2005 A+ (LA)	.333	.380	.651	249	14	1	21	19	38	6	1
2006 AAA (LA)	.322	.400	.550	202	14	1	10	25	32	3	2
2006 AA (LA)	.309	.419	.483	230	13	0	9	41	32	6	3
2007 NL (LA)	.226	.365	.312	93	5	0	1	20	24	2	1
2007 AAA (LA)	.309	.399	.589	265	18	1	18	39	42	2	2
2008 NL (LA)	.203	.319	.322	59	1	0	2	10	7	0	0
2008 NL	.152	.227	.232	164	4	0	3	14	30	2	0
2008 AAA (LA)	.293	.452	.439	123	3	0	5	37	14	2	1
2008 AA (LA)	.318	.400	.364	22	1	0	0	3	6	1	0
2009 NL	.258	.330	.401	524	29	5	12	50	84	3	1

The Pirates acquired LaRoche in the three-way trade involving Jason Bay and Manny Ramirez. LaRoche was considered for a while one of the top prospects in the minors. For the last five years before the trade, Baseball America ranked him in the top ten prospects in a strong Dodgers' system, including either first or second in each of the last three years. His stock seemed to slip, though, in the year or so before the trade, although it's not entirely clear why. He was hampered by injuries in 2007, including the aftermath of shoulder surgery at the beginning of the year and some back problems later, but he still hit well in AAA. Some of the reservations may have resulted from the Dodgers' reluctance to make him their starting thirdbaseman, as GM Ned Coletti was obsessed during his first couple years on the job with blocking his team's prospects with veterans whenever possible. LaRoche appeared to be set to take over a starting job in 2008, but he tore a thumb ligament during spring training, requiring surgery. Not surprisingly, his power disappeared after the surgery. Of course, there were some reservations due to the hitting environment at Las Vegas, the Dodgers' AAA affiliate, which has an extreme hitter's park. Prior to the thumb injury, LaRoche's OPS in AAA was 1.067 at home and .829 on the road. On the other hand, LaRoche hit for impressive power in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League.

The Pirates installed LaRoche at 3B immediately after the trade and eventually traded the unhappy incumbent, Jose Bautista. Unfortunately, LaRoche struggled even more with the Pirates than he had with the Dodgers. At the plate he looked completely lost. The vaunted plate discipline was nowhere in evidence as he repeatedly chased bad pitches. His K rate climbed, his BB rate dropped, and he rarely hit the ball with any authority when he put it in play. He seemed to be trying to pull the ball every time he swung. He also struggled in the field, committing nine errors in 45 games. To top it off, he got caught loafing at least a couple times. LaRoche denied that the thumb injury played any role in his struggles, but the fact is that hitters generally need extensive recovery time after a wrist or hand injury, even after they're able to play again.

In a move that angered many fans, the Pirates quickly named LaRoche the starter at third again for 2009. GM Neal Huntington probably added to the outcry with statements about how the team would no longer have "scholarships." Regardless of any notion of accountability, it would have been insane to bench LaRoche because, even at the end of the 2008 season, he was still only six months removed from the thumb surgery, a relatively short time when it comes to hitters and hand injuries. Nevertheless, LaRoche got off to a miserable start in 2009, failing to record a hit until mid-April and not hitting his first HR until May 4. The Pirates apparently addressed his struggles by getting him to stop trying to pull the ball. He frequently just served hits to the opposite field, which resulted in a .330 BA for May but still not much power. As the season wore on, LaRoche went back to trying to pull everything and his numbers dropped until he went through a dismal stretch in July and August, posting monthly OPS figures of .544 and .659. He was puzzling to watch, because even when he seemed to catch hold of a pitch it often went simply for a medium depth fly out. He showed no power at all to the gaps or the opposite field and could only hit the ball out if he pulled it.

Going into September, LaRoche appeared to be the exact opposite of the guy the Pirates thought they were getting, which was a power hitter with good patience and a marginal glove. Instead, he turned into a singles hitter who showed limited strike zone judgment, but his fielding improved to the point where he became probably well above average. He has very good reactions, pretty good hands and a strong, accurate arm. It looked like he'd present the Pirates with a difficult decision when he suddenly started hitting the ball in September. His line for the month, including October, was 321/367/583, and the ball started carrying off his bat. There are several possible explanations. One, of course, is random chance. Another is the realistic possibility that it just took that long for his power to return from the thumb surgery. A third, which could have contributed to the other two as well, was the nature of September baseball, which is somewhat like spring training.

At the end of the 2009 season, the Pirates approached LaRoche about the possibility of moving to secondbase and he said he was willing to do it. The acquisition of Akinori Iwamura, however, probably put an end to that possibility. That will leave LaRoche needing to show his 2009 finish was not a fluke, because Pedro Alvarez will most likely be arriving from AAA by mid-season in 2010. LaRoche will need a good start to force the Pirates to move Alvarez to first.

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