Andrew Christian LaRoche (born September 13, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. LaRoche is the son of Dave LaRoche, a former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, and brother of former

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

Adam LaRoche David Adam LaRoche (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks ...

College and draft

LaRoche played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

for

Grayson County College Grayson College is a public community college in Grayson County, Texas. The main campus is in Denison and it has branch campuses in Denison (west extension, at the site of the old Perrin Air Force Base) and Van Alstyne (south campus). Histo ...

. He also played for the

Keene Swamp Bats The Keene Swamp Bats are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Keene, New Hampshire. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer basebal ...

of the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

. In 2003, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fi ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star. He had been originally a catcher but switched positions due to an injury. He was originally drafted in the 21st round by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in , but he turned down an offer estimated at $200,000 and remained in school for another year. He re-entered the draft the following year, and, despite having broken a bone in his left leg in a collision at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, his stock soared and scouts projected him as a first rounder. However, teams were concerned about their ability to sign him, as he had turned down the Padres' offer and was planning on transferring to

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

. Nevertheless, he was drafted in the 39th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft by the

, but still got supplemental money when the Dodgers signed him in August 2003. At the time, his bonus was the highest for a "non draft and follow" outside the first three rounds.

Playing career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Concern about his range caused the Dodgers to move him from

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

prior to sending him to their rookie league team, the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitche ...

, for the last few games of the 2003 season. He started the season with the Dodgers Single-A team in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, hitting .283 with 13

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 42 RBI before being promoted to the higher Single-A team in

Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...

where he struggled a bit, hitting only .237 with 10 HRs and 34 RBI. In , at Vero Beach, he hit .333 with 21 HRs and 51 RBI and received a call-up to the Double-A

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

. At Jacksonville, he hit .273 with 9 HRs and 43 RBI. He was voted the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year. For the minor league season, he started at Jacksonville and hit .309 with 9 HRs and 46 RBI. He would be called up to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, where he hit .322 with 10 HRs and 35 RBI. Andy LaRoche

During LaRoche's second big league

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in , he noted that his last name should be spelled "La Roche" with a defined space. However, as reported by Steve Henson of the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

, he decided to revert to the previous spelling by the end of camp. LaRoche made his major league debut on May 6, 2007, against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. He recorded his first major league

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

, a

ground rule double A ground rule double is a baseball rule that awards two bases from the time of pitch to all baserunners including the batter-runner, as a result of the ball leaving play after being hit fairly and leaving the field under a condition of the ground ...

, against Kyle Davies. The following day, May 7, LaRoche recorded his first two RBI against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. After being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, LaRoche was recalled on September 1. LaRoche received more playing time in September due to

Nomar Garciaparra Anthony Nomar Garciaparra (; born July 23, 1973) is an American retired Major League Baseball player and current SportsNet LA analyst. After playing parts of nine seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played shortstop, third ...

's injury problems. On September 20, LaRoche hit his first major league home run off

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

pitcher

Matt Herges Matthew Tyler Herges (born April 1, 1970) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2009, and is the former pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Herges played in ML ...

. LaRoche played for Team USA in the

2007 Baseball World Cup The 2007 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 37th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through the ...

during the MLB off-season. On March 7, 2008, while playing a spring training game against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, LaRoche tore the

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

in the base of his right thumb. In a freak accident, LaRoche was attempting to catch a

pickoff In baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher or catcher, throwing a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who is either leading off or about to begin stealing the next base. A pickoff attempt occurs when this thro ...

throw from

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

Danny Ardoin Daniel Wayne Ardoin (born July 8, 1974) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2008 for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, a ...

. The throw deflected off Cardinals base runner D'Angelo Jiménez and struck LaRoche on his throwing hand. LaRoche was injured in the fifth inning, having taken over third base duties for

, who was injured an inning earlier when he was struck on the wrist with a pitch. At the time, LaRoche and Garciaparra were in competition for the starting third base job. Neither player could begin the season, and minor league rookie

Blake DeWitt Blake Robert DeWitt (born August 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Braves. High school As a sen ...

assumed third base duties on opening day. On May 3, after completing a ten-game rehab assignment with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns and the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, LaRoche was reinstated from the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

and optioned to the 51s. This move was seen as Dodgers management endorsing Blake DeWitt, who had played well enough to keep his starting role while LaRoche was on the disabled list. LaRoche was recalled from Las Vegas on June 10 and made his 2008 debut the next day at first base. He hit a home run against Padres starter

Randy Wolf Randall Christopher Wolf (born August 22, 1976) nicknamed "Wolfie", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, ...

in the fourth inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 31, 2008, LaRoche, along with pitcher

Bryan Morris Avery Bryan Morris (born March 28, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants. Early life Morris was born in Woodbury, T ...

, was traded to the

in part of a three-team deal that sent

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Lo ...

to the Los Angeles Dodgers and

Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball left fielder. Bay played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Seattle Marine ...

to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. LaRoche joined his brother

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

in Pittsburgh. After hitting .144 while with the Pirates in 2008, LaRoche was given an "intensive offseason workout regimen" throughout the offseason. His reunion with brother Adam ended on July 22, 2009, when the Pirates traded Adam to the

for minor-league pitcher

Hunter Strickland Hunter Drew Strickland (born September 24, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Ta ...

and shortstop Argenis Díaz. Nine days later, the Red Sox traded Adam to the

for

Casey Kotchman Casey John Kotchman (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Marin ...

. On November 20, 2010, Andy was designated for assignment by the Pirates and made a free agent.

Oakland Athletics

On January 24, 2011, LaRoche signed a minor-league deal with the

with an invite to major league camp. He made the Opening Day roster, appearing in 40 games before being designated for assignment on June 5. He was assigned to the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

. On August 18, 2011, in a tied extra-inning game against the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

, he pitched the 13th inning, and was awarded the win. After the 2011 season, he elected for free agency.

Cleveland Indians

On December 21, 2011, LaRoche signed a minor-league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. He also received an invitation to spring training. LaRoche was released by the Indians organization on June 26, 2012.

Boston Red Sox

On June 28, 2012, LaRoche signed a minor-league contract with the

. He played with the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

for the rest of the season, appearing in 50 games. At the end of the season, he became an unrestricted free agent.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 30, 2013, LaRoche signed a minor-league contract with the

with an invite to spring training. LaRoche started the season with the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, and was called up on June 7 as a potential fill-in at

for the injured

Brett Lawrie Brett Russell Lawrie (born January 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox. Amateur career While playing hi ...

and recently demoted

Anthony Gose Anthony Robert Gose (; born August 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher and outfielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization. Originally an outfielder, Gose transitioned from a center fielder to a pitcher, following the 2016 s ...

. LaRoche was designated for assignment following a 10-6 loss to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, having played just one game for the Blue Jays and going 0-4 at the plate. After clearing waivers, LaRoche was assigned outright to Buffalo on June 13. He became a free agent on October 1. He signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays for the 2014 season.

Chicago White Sox

On January 23, 2015, LaRoche signed a minor-league deal with the

. He was released on April 1.

Wichita Wingnuts

Following his release, LaRoche signed with the

Wichita Wingnuts The Wichita Wingnuts were an independent baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. The Wingnuts were members of the South Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball. An expansion franchise in the 2008 seas ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

and finished the 2015 season with them.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On February 26, 2016, LaRoche was traded to the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He became a free agent after the 2016 season.

Coaching career

LaRoche was named hitting coach for the

Burlington Royals The Burlington Royals were a minor league baseball team in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 2006 as the Burlington I ...

for the 2019 season.

Awards and honors

* No. 26 – MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 – Minor League NewsNo. 26 – MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006
– Minor League News

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laroche, Andy 1983 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Kansas Baseball players from Kansas Bravos de Margarita players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Catfish players Columbus Clippers players Grayson Vikings baseball players Jacksonville Suns players Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball coaches Oakland Athletics players Ogden Raptors players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Fort Scott, Kansas Phoenix Desert Dogs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Sacramento River Cats players Sugar Land Skeeters players Toronto Blue Jays players Team USA players Vero Beach Dodgers players Wareham Gatemen players Wichita Wingnuts players

College and draft

Playing career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pittsburgh Pirates

Oakland Athletics

Cleveland Indians

Boston Red Sox

Toronto Blue Jays

Chicago White Sox

Wichita Wingnuts

Sugar Land Skeeters

Coaching career

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links