Adam LaRoche
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David Adam LaRoche (born November 6, 1979) is an American professional baseball coach and former
player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
who played 12 seasons in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He played for 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
,
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
,
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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
,
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
,
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
and
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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
. He is the son of pitcher Dave LaRoche and the brother of third baseman Andy LaRoche.


Amateur career

Adam LaRoche is a 1998 graduate of Fort Scott High School in
Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The cit ...
, 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 Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...
, at
Fort Scott Community College Fort Scott Community College is a Public college, public community college in Fort Scott, Kansas. It has satellite buildings in other cities in Crawford County, Kansas, Crawford County, including Pittsburg, Kansas, Pittsburg and Frontenac, Kansa ...
in 1999 before transferring to
Seminole Community College Seminole State College of Florida is a public college based in Sanford, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. History Established by the Florida Legislature in 1965 as Seminole Junior College, the school began operat ...
in Seminole, Oklahoma in 2000, where he was an All-American and the
most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
of the Junior College World Series.


Professional career

He was drafted by 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 team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
in both the 1998 and
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
amateur drafts, but refused to sign. He was drafted by 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
in 2000 and signed with the team.


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 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 ...
. The left-handed LaRoche platooned with 46-year-old veteran
Julio Franco Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominic ...
and put up a respectable .278 rookie batting average. LaRoche demonstrated his strong defensive skills at first base, but also a lack of speed running the bases. LaRoche 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 against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
. 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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. In addition, in a wild game against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
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 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
on January 17, 2007, for reliever
Mike Gonzalez Mike Gonzalez or González may refer to: * Mike Gonzalez (pitcher) (born 1978), American baseball pitcher * Mike González (catcher) (1890–1977), Cuban baseball catcher * Mike Gonzalez (historian) (born 1943), British historian and literary critic ...
and minor league shortstop Brent Lillibridge. During the 2009 season he played with his brother Andy LaRoche with the Pirates until July 22, 2009, when he was traded 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. 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.


Boston Red Sox

LaRoche was traded 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
for minor league pitcher Hunter Strickland and shortstop Argenis Díaz. In six games, LaRoche would go on to hit one home run and three RBI, with an average of .263. During his brief tenure in Boston, LaRoche lived with his teammate J. D. Drew in Drew's home in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
.


Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On July 31, 2009, after only spending six games with Boston, he was dealt back to his former team, 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
, in exchange for first baseman Casey Kotchman. LaRoche was traded by Boston in order to cut payroll and because they believed that Kotchman would be a better pinch hitter than LaRoche.


Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 14, 2010, LaRoche agreed to a 1-year, $4.5 million contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
. His deal included a $7.5 million mutual option with a $1.5 million buyout. In his 1-year tenure with the Diamondbacks, LaRoche hit .261 with 25 home runs and 100 RBI in 151 games.


Washington Nationals

On January 4, 2011, LaRoche agreed to a two-year contract with the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
. His contract paid him $7 million in 2011 and $8 million in 2012 with a mutual option for $10 million in 2013. On April 7, LaRoche hit his first home run as a member of the Nationals, a game-winning two-run home run off
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 team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
reliever Edward Mujica in the 11th inning of a 5–3 Nationals win. His 2011 season ended with labrum surgery on his left shoulder with career-low batting numbers of .172/.288/.258 (BA/OBP/SLG). LaRoche's 2012 season began much more successfully, hitting .329 in April. He was a consistent bat throughout the season, driving in no fewer than 12 runs each month from April to August. In early September, LaRoche homered in each game of a four-game series against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
(and hit five home runs overall). The only other players to match this feat are Hall-of-Fame sluggers
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
,
Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", and "the Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB), p ...
,
Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born Lorenzo Pietro Berra; May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seas ...
,
Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from to , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the ...
, and
Mike Schmidt Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who spent his entire 18-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1972 to 1989. Schmidt was a 12-time Al ...
. On October 2, LaRoche reached two personal milestones. He hit his career-high 33rd home run, in the process tying a career high of 100 RBI. He earned his first Gold Glove and the
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
. LaRoche declined his $13.3 million 2013 option on November 1 and became a free agent. Since the Nationals exercised their half, LaRoche wasn't paid a $1 million buyout. On January 8, 2013, LaRoche signed a two-year, $24 million contract to remain with the Nationals, that included a mutual option for 2015. LaRoche had a down year in 2013, hitting .237 with 20 home runs and 62 RBI in 152 games. LaRoche had a bounce back season in 2014, hitting .259 with 26 home runs and 92 RBI in 140 games. After the Nationals were eliminated in the NLDS by the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
, the team announced they would not pick up LaRoche's $15.3 million option, with the intent of moving
Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Wallace Zimmerman (born September 28, 1984) is an American former professional baseball infielder who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Washington Nationals. Zimmerman graduated from Floyd E. Kellam High S ...
to first base.


Chicago White Sox

On November 25, 2014, 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
announced that LaRoche had been signed to a two–year, $25 million contract. LaRoche hit his 250th career
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
off
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
reliever Joakim Soria in a 4-3 White Sox win on June 6, 2015. On March 15, 2016, LaRoche said that he intended to "step away from baseball." He said that he would honor a request from teammates to reconsider his retirement for a day or two before making an official announcement. On the next day, it was revealed that LaRoche's reason for a possible retirement was that the White Sox had placed a restriction on his 14-year-old son entering the team's clubhouse every day. By retiring, LaRoche walked away from a $13 million contract. The following day, teammates were close to boycotting their spring training game until manager
Robin Ventura Robin Mark Ventura (born July 14, 1967) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager. Ventura played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles D ...
stepped in and told the players to play. White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams defended his request by stating "name one job in the country where you can bring your child to work every day."


Personal life

LaRoche and his wife Jennifer have a daughter and a son. His hobbies include fishing, hunting, and golf. He is the son of former Major League
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
Dave LaRoche and older brother of Andy LaRoche. LaRoche is of Mexican descent. According to his brother, Andy, their father's birth surname was Garcia, however, his father changed it to LaRoche at age seven, the last name of his stepfather. LaRoche is a devout
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
. LaRoche helped the Washington Nationals promote "Faith Day" at
Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.), Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals. Since its completion in 2008, it wa ...
along with teammates
Denard Span Keiunta Denard Span (born February 27, 1984) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mar ...
and Ian Desmond. LaRoche was raised Christian but did not embrace his faith until asking himself, "Why are we here? What is our purpose on this earth?" He believes the answer is "to spread God’s word" and told ''
The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American Conservatism, conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on Politics of the United States, national politics. Its broadsheet daily edit ...
'', "I heard one chaplain put it this way: What do you want written on your tombstone? Do you want ‘Adam LaRoche: Gold Glove, batting average, hit so many homers, and has a million dollars in his bank account,’ or do you want ‘Adam LaRoche: Man of God, integrity, raised a great family, loving.’ Let's be honest: I don't know anybody who wants their stats." Diagnosed with
ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...
during his high school years, a blunder in the May 14, 2006, game against the Washington Nationals is attributed to that condition. He picked up a Nick Johnson ground ball that should have resulted in the third out of the inning, but did not move quickly to step on first base. Johnson beat LaRoche to the base; the inning continued, and the Nationals scored four unearned runs. Washington won 8-1, and LaRoche was benched for the next game. LaRoche is one of the co-owners of Outdoor Networks hunting show '' Buck Commander'' with friends and pro athletes
Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall p ...
, Ryan Langerhans, Tom Martin,
Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Count ...
,
Jason Aldean Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...
, and
Willie Robertson Willie Jess Robertson (born April 22, 1972) is an American TV personality, businessman, author and news contributor. He is best known for his appearances on the reality TV series ''Duck Dynasty'' on A&E (TV channel), A&E, and is the current CEO ...
who is from the '' Duck Commander'' series. LaRoche currently lives in
Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The cit ...
where he coaches baseball for his
alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
, Fort Scott High School. The team plays home games at “LaRoche Baseball Complex” whose construction was funded by LaRoche himself.


See also

* Kansas Stars *
List of second-generation Major League Baseball players Dozens of father-and-son combinations have played or managed in Major League Baseball (MLB). The first was Jack Doscher, son of Herm Doscher, who made his debut in 1903. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-and-son duo t ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most career home runs in regular season play (i.e., excluding playoffs or exhibition games). In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by ci ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laroche, Adam 1979 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Pittsburgh Pirates players Boston Red Sox players Arizona Diamondbacks players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen Chicago White Sox players Fort Scott Greyhounds baseball players Seminole State Trojans baseball players Richmond Braves players Danville Braves players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Greenville Braves players Hickory Crawdads players Major League Baseball first basemen Baseball players from Kansas Sportspeople from Fort Scott, Kansas American baseball players of Mexican descent Baseball players from Anaheim, California Gold Glove Award winners Silver Slugger Award winners American Christians People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder