Adam LaRoche

From BR Bullpen

David Adam LaRoche

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 3", Weight 180 lb.
School Fort Scott Community College, Seminole State College
High School Fort Scott High School
Debut April 7, 2004
Born November 6, 1979 in Orange County, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

The son of Dave LaRoche and brother of Andy LaRoche, Adam LaRoche is a first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Adam was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 18th round of the 1998 amateur draft and in the 42nd round of the 1999 amateur draft, but did not sign either time.

LaRoche was considered a better pitching prospect as an amateur but the Braves decided to give him a chance to hit and it worked out. He was the Most Outstanding Player in the Junior College World Series in 2000. The Atlanta Braves took him in the 29th round of the 2000 amateur draft and assigned him to the Danville Braves. He hit .308/.381/.507 in 56 games for Danville and led the club in homers (7) and RBI (45).

Adam moved on to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2001 and went 1-0 on the hill. At the plate, he hit .251/.305/.361 with just 7 homers and 108 strikeouts, though his 31 doubles led the club. LaRoche split 2002 between Myrtle Beach (.336/.406/.512 in 69 games) and the Greenville Braves (.289/.363/.410 in 45 games). Baseball America rated him as the #12 prospect in the Carolina League.

LaRoche was named the Braves' Minor League Player of the Year after a big 2003 campaign. He led the team's minor leaguers in homers (20), RBI (72) and total bases (235). He hit .283/.381/.511 for the Greenville Braves and .295/.360/.466 for the Richmond Braves. He went 1 for 2 as the USA's starting first baseman in the 2003 Futures Game before being replaced by Ryan Howard. Baseball America rated him the top defensive first baseman in both the Southern League and International League. They also rated him the 7th-best first baseman prospect in baseball, the #12 prospect in the SL behind Khalil Greene and the #6 prospect in the IL, between Freddy Sanchez and Brandon Claussen.

LaRoche hit .333/?/.615 for the Mayaguez Indians in the 2003-2004 Puerto Rican League. Baseball America named him the #3 prospect in the circuit.

In 2004, LaRoche played four games with Richmond but spent most of the season as the regular first baseman for the Braves. Splitting the role with Julio Franco, Adam hit .278/.333/.488 despite being plagued by a dislocated shoulder partway through the year. He made the 2004 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. He then batted .235/.316/.471 in the playoffs.

Adam fell to a .259/.320/.455 line with the 2005 Braves. He showed improved power with 28 doubles, 20 homers and 78 RBI but his 98 OPS+ was clearly insufficient for a first baseman. He did go 4 for 8 with a double, home run and three walks in the post-season. In 2006, LaRoche went onto medication for attention deficit disorder, which he had suffered with for years and attributes his significant improvement in part to this change. Overall, Adam batted .285/.354/.561 for a 133 OPS+ and he finished 10th in the 2006 NL in slugging percentage.

The Pittsburgh Pirates expressed interest in LaRoche throughout the winter of 2007 and acquired him in a deal with Jamie Romak in exchange for Mike Gonzalez and Brent Lillibridge. The general opinion was that the trade benefited both teams.

LaRoche began 2007 very slowly, not reaching the Mendoza Line until mid-May, though he had been showing some power and leading the Pirates in walks. Adam lost a bet with Tom Gorzelanny that the pitcher would not get a hit by the end of May; Gorzelanny was to have bought LaRoche a driver for his golf game had he lost. Instead, LaRoche had to buy Gorzelanny free golf outings for the rest of the season. LaRoche said it was a bet he wanted to lose.

When Adam appeared on the same field for the same team as brother Andy on August 14, 2008, it became the first brother combination on the Pirates in 50 years, since Eddie O'Brien and Johnny O'Brien. The LaRoches were the 8th brother combo for Pittsburgh - the other 7 sets were the O'Briens, Harry Camnitz and Howie Camnitz, Gene Freese and George Freese, Paul Waner and Lloyd Waner, Johnny Morrison and Phil Morrison and Elmer Riddle and Johnny Riddle.