ANDY LAROCHE
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3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Age: 26 Born: September 13, 1983 Height: 6′ 1″ Weight: 215 Bats: Right Throws: Right Drafted: 39th Round, 1171st Overall, 2003 How Acquired: Trade (for Jason Bay) College: Grayson County College Agent: N/A |
SCOUTING REPORT
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Once one of the top prospects in the game, LaRoche now finds himself struggling to keep a starting job in the majors. To make matters worse, he doesn’t exactly receive a fair amount of support from Pirates fans, who saw fan favorite Jason Bay traded in 2008, with LaRoche being the key part of the return. LaRoche isn’t a bad option at third base. His .258/.330/.401 line in 524 at-bats in 2009 leaves a lot of room for improvement. However, LaRoche finds a lot of his value on defense. In 2009, LaRoche made great strides with his defensive skills, thanks to the work of infield coach Perry Hill. LaRoche posted a 5.1 UZR/150 rating, ranking fifth amongst National League third basemen. His defense was enough to make him a 2.5 WAR player in 2009. By comparison, Jason Bay was a 3.5 WAR player in 2009. The problem for LaRoche is that most people look at offense, and ignore defense. The bigger problem for LaRoche is that top prospect Pedro Alvarez is due up in the majors by June 2010. Alvarez brings the hitting that people want from a third baseman, which could force LaRoche to either be traded, or moved to another position, such as second base. LaRoche hit for a .313/.359/.552 line from September to the end of the season last year. If LaRoche can come close to those numbers in 2010 he could secure his position at third base, and leave a very tough decision for the Pirates once Alvarez arrives. |
STATS
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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2006: League Minimum 2007: League Minimum 2008: $392,500 in majors 2009: $413,500 2010: $451,000 2011: Arbitration Eligible 2012: Arbitration Eligible 2013: Arbitration Eligible Other Details:
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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Signing Bonus: $1,000,000 MiLB Debut: 2003 MLB Debut: 5/6/2007 MLB FA Eligible: 2014 Added to 40-Man: 11/20/2005 Options Remaining: 0 (USED: 2006, 2007, 2008) MLB Service Time: 2.026 |
AWARDS / ACHIEVEMENTS / PROSPECT RANKINGS | |
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AWARDS / ACHIEVEMENTS
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PROSPECT RANKINGS
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2005: High-A All-Star 3B 2005: Baseball America 1st Team Minor League All-Star 3B 2005: Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year 2005: Florida State League All-Star SS |
Baseball America
2004: #8 LAD |
TRANSACTIONS
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June 4, 2002: Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 21st round, 625th overall pick. June 3, 2003: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 39th round, 1171st overall pick. August 14, 2003: Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers to a minor league contract with a $1 M bonus. November 20, 2005: Contract purchased by the Los Angeles Dodgers. July 31, 2008: Acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Bryan Morris in a three team deal that also sent Jason Bay from Pittsburgh to Boston, Manny Ramirez from Boston to Los Angeles, and Brandon Moss/Craig Hansen from Boston to Pittsburgh. November 19, 2010: Designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates. |