| Adam LaRoche | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Atlanta Braves — No. 22 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: November 6, 1979 Orange County, California |
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| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| April 7, 2004 for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Career statistics (through 2009 season) |
|
| Batting Average | .274 |
| Home Runs | 136 |
| Runs Batted In | 469 |
| Teams | |
David Adam LaRoche (born November 6, 1979 in Orange County, California), is a free agent Major League Baseball first baseman. He is the son of Dave LaRoche and the brother of the third baseman and former teammate Andy LaRoche.
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College baseball career
Adam LaRoche was a 1998 graduate of Fort Scott (KS) High School, where he played baseball. He was named an All-American in baseball as a senior. His uncle, Dave Regan, was his high school head coach.
He played for his father, Dave, at Fort Scott Community College in 1999 before transferring to Seminole (OK) Junior College in 2000, where he was an All-American and the MVP of the Junior College World Series.
Professional baseball career
He had been drafted by the Florida Marlins in both the 1998 and 1999 amateur drafts, but refused to sign. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2000 and did sign.
Atlanta Braves
For the start of the 2004 season, the Braves made LaRoche, who had not yet made his major league debut, their starting first baseman. The left-handed LaRoche platooned with 46 year-old veteran Julio Franco and put up a respectable .278 rookie batting average.
LaRoche demonstrated his strong defensive skills at first base, but also a lack of speed on the basepaths.[citation needed]
He again platooned with Franco in 2005. While he did hit 22 home runs, LaRoche had a very streaky season. He hit .385 in his final 17 games of the year, but just .105 in the 19 games that preceded that streak. He batted .500 with a grand slam in the Braves 2005 NLDS Series against the Houston Astros. With the offseason departure of Franco, LaRoche became the Braves sole starter at first base in 2006.
On May 28, 2006, LaRoche contributed two of the Braves' record eight home runs in a remarkable win against the Chicago Cubs. In addition, in a wild game against the San Diego Padres on July 14, 2006, LaRoche hit two more home runs and had five RBIs to help the Braves to a 15-12, 11-inning win. He finished the year with a .285 average, 32 home runs, and 90 RBIs - all career-bests.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Braves traded LaRoche and minor league outfielder Jamie Romak to the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 17, 2007 for reliever Mike González and minor league shortstop Brent Lillibridge.
During the 2009 season he played with his brother Andy LaRoche with the pirates until July 22nd 2009 when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox
On May 13, 2009, LaRoche became the first player in major league history to have a home run taken away through the use of video replay.[1]
Boston Red Sox
On July 22, 2009, LaRoche was traded to the Boston Red Sox[2] for minor league pitcher Hunter Strickland and shortstop Argenis Díaz.[3]. In six games, LaRoche would go onto hit one home run and three RBIs, with an average of .263.
Return to the Braves
On July 31, 2009, after only spending six games with Boston he was dealt back to one of his former teams, the Atlanta Braves for 1st baseman Casey Kotchman.[4]
Personal life
LaRoche and his wife Jennifer have a daughter, Montana, and a son, Drake. His hobbies include fishing, hunting, and golf.
He is the son of former Major League pitcher Dave LaRoche. His younger brother, Andy LaRoche, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Dodgers on July 31, 2008.[5]
LaRoche is of Mexican descent. According to his brother Andy LaRoche, his father's surname was Garcia, however, his father changed it to LaRoche at age seven, the last name of his stepfather. "La Roche is French, but I have no French in me," Andy LaRoche said. "My grandfather was 100% Mexican."[6]
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adam LaRoche |
References
- ^ "LaRoche loses HR on reversal, but Pirates win 5-2", Yahoo.com, Alan Robinson, May 13, 2009. Retrieved on 13 May 2009.
- ^ Red Sox get Adam LaRoche from Bucs
- ^ http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2009/07/22/report-red-sox-acquire-adam-laroche/
- ^ Red Sox Deal Adam LaRoche to Braves for Casey Kotchman
- ^ [1]
- ^ Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, "Andy La Roche wants a little space. Is that so wrong?" (February 21, 2007)
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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