I was never a fan of Andy LaRoche's brother Adam, and sharp-eyed readers may have noticed my tepid acceptance of Andy in the past.
But in one respect, the younger LaRoche is already "Jack Wilson," which is high praise coming from yours truly. That is, in terms of "citizenship."
He spent half an hour giving the "grand tour" of PNC Park to a boy in wheelchair. That was above and beyond the call of duty and will generate enormous goodwill for the Pirates, both for the one incident and for the many similar ones that are likely to follow.
The BASEBALL problem is, LaRoche may find himself out of a steady job if and when Pedro Alvarez comes to third base, perhaps late this year. Far from being roadblocked by players in FRONT of him (as he was in Los Angeles), LaRoche is now threatened from BEHIND.
But instead of trying to stand in Alvarez's way, Andy has apparently done everything possible to facilitate the minor leaguer's coming to the majors.
A possible second position for the good-fielding LaRoche is second base. But that spot looks crowded, with Delwyn Young and Akinori Iwamura already slated for that spot. Not to mention that Josh Harrison, who was acquired last year in the trade of starter Tom Gorzelanny, might be ready in two to three years.
Conceivably, the Pirates might free up a spot for LaRoche in 2011 by not renewing Iwamura's contract, before Harrison is ready, but that would be a short-, not long-term solution.
But the Pirates have one glaring weakness in the infield. That is shortstop, which, yes, happens to be Jack Wilson's old position, following his trade last year to Seattle for two advanced prospects.
If LaRoche can actually play second base, he might be viable at shortstop. Both positions are "up the middle," on either side of second base. The shortstop is taxed more because there are more right-handed batters, who tend to "pull" the ball to the left side of the field. But a double-play combo that goes 4-6-3 isn't much different from one that goes 6-4-3.
Like Wilson, LaRoche is a liability at the plate (although to a lesser degree), and like Wilson, his superior fielding makes up for it, with a little to spare. Unlike Wilson, he is not playing as critical a position, which is to say that he is not scoring points for a position adjustment.
It would be a tough adjustment, but if he can make it, LaRoche could make a real contribution at shortstop. Ronny Cedeno is an even greater liability at the plate than Wilson, and unlike Wilson he seems to offer no defensive premium (relative to his position). By replacing Cedeno here, LaRoche might be able to upgrade the position in at least one, possibly both, counts.
Another possibility for LaRoche that might add up to a full-time job (almost, anyway), is that he could platoon at ALL THREE positions. He might sub for Alvarez at third against particular pitchers, for Cedeno against high-scoring teams against whom hitting is at a premium, and at second base against particular lineups.
Andy LaRoche has done, and will do, a lot for the Pirates, both on and off the field. It's about time that the Pirates think about what they can do for him.
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