Andy LaRoche

ANDY LAROCHE
3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirate Andy LaRoche hits a home run against the L. A. Dodgers in Pittsburgh
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
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


CONTRACT INFORMATION
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:
  • N/A
PLAYER INFORMATION
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
AWARDS / ACHIEVEMENTS
PROSPECT RANKINGS
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
2005: #74 MLB, #5 LAD
2006: #19 MLB, #2 LAD
2007: #19 MLB, #1 LAD
2008: #31 MLB, #2 LAD

TRANSACTIONS
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.