At the plate, his bat shows some pop and he showed that he can handle the bat at times at the big league level. The first thing the Bucs need from him this season is consistency. He entertained some prolonged slumps last season, something a young hitter will experience. He needs to take the next step and put it all together.
He only wound up hitting .258 last season, but eliminate the slumps this season and we could see that number jump to around the .285 mark. As I said looking at the first basemen, the corner spots must produce runs. The power wasn't there for Andy last season, hitting only 12 dingers, but several of his team high 29 doubles hit the top of the wall, so they could easilly turn into homers this season. That's just wishful thinking on my part, but one would have to think Laroche has to turn in a .285/20/80 type season to remain the everyday man.
Yes Pedro Alvarez is looming and looks great this spring. He has no chance to come up before June 1, so it's imperitive for Laroche to get off to a sizzling start or the decision on Alvarez may become an easy one for Pirates management.
The job is Laroche's. Like all the other infield positions, Bobby Crosby could see a few starts. Ramon Vazquez (while he's still here) is also in the mix for a few spot starts throught the season. Neil Walker could also steal some playing time.
Position Grade Compared to the rest of the league- C+ - Laroche is serviceable and pretty much like every other position on the diamond, if he has a breakout season then it becomes a strength of the club. My guess is that he has an average type season and we see Pedro Alvarez sometime in late June- early July. If for anything, that the Pirates will desperately need his power bat. this would regulate Laroche to a utility man for the time being.
I like Laroche. I'm hoping he has a good season, but even if he does I can't see them finding playing time for him come July
ReplyDeleteThat's a good problem to have though. One that hasn't been around here in a long time. It just makes the team stronger
ReplyDeleteWhy would the not have Pedro Alvarez start opening day. It makes no sense
ReplyDeleteWell to answer you question, it makes perfect sense
ReplyDelete1. Pedro Alvarez has never seen a pitch above a brief stint in AA and has played only 1 season of pro ball
2. By bringing him up before June 1, they lose a season of arbritration control over him
and
3. Andy Laroche has done nothing to outright lose the job. he deserves the opportunity just as much
matt
ReplyDeleteway to set that horses ass straight. god i hate pirates fans who dont know a thing about baseball and just complain all the time
very true about laroche and i like him but the future is alvarez and not laroche, with andy not likely to be a second baseman, I feel they should explore trade options when pedro is deemed ready
ReplyDeleteit is a good problem to have only if Laroche plays well, but if Andy struggles out of the gate, the pressure on him will be enormous. The pressure to bring Alvarez up will mount
ReplyDelete