NewsLaRoche keeps second base in mind
Position change remains an option if Bucs need it
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
11/10/09 5:25 PM EST
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates' acquisition of Akinori Iwamura a week ago not only solidified second base for 2010, but it also clarified Andy LaRoche's future in the infield as well. His immediate future, at least.LaRoche was approached by the Bucs at the end of the 2009 season to gauge his willingness to move from third to second, possibly as soon as next year. At the time, management's thinking was two-fold. One, the Pirates did not particularly feel comfortable with their second-base options for '10. And two, with top prospect Pedro Alvarez about to knock on the big league door, LaRoche was looking like little more than a placeholder at the hot corner.
Accepting the challenge of reacquainting himself at second, LaRoche spent five days at the organization's instructional league in Bradenton, Fla., right after the season ended, taking ground balls and making double play flips.
But that preparation has since become a non-issue -- at least for now -- because the addition of Iwamura, who will be Pittsburgh's everyday second baseman next season.
Though management has not told LaRoche he will continue to get reps at second base in Spring Training, LaRoche expects to do at least some minimal work there, if for nothing more than to increase his long-term versatility.
That still could come in handy. Iwamura is in the final year of his contract, and though general manager Neal Huntington has said the organization could be amenable to securing Iwamura's services beyond '10, there are no certainly no guarantees.
With Alvarez expected to be in Pittsburgh before the end of next season, second base could be a fit for LaRoche, who is under team control through the '13 season, for the long term.
Cognizant of Alvarez's looming arrival and not wanting it to cause any friction, LaRoche actually sought out Alvarez during his time at instructional league.
"I talked to him and told him, 'Don't feel uncomfortable around me. If you're ready, we need you in the lineup to win. Don't think that I have hard feelings toward you,'" LaRoche said. "I didn't want him to think there was any animosity or anything like that toward him. Obviously, he's young, so we'll see how he does next season. But if he's ready, by all means, let's get him up here."
It's still highly unlikely that Alvarez will be up with Pittsburgh any earlier than next summer, as management has expressed a desire for him to continue to polish his skills in the Minor Leagues. Keeping Alvarez in the Minors for the first few months would also delay Alvarez's free-agency clock for an extra year.
At this time, it also doesn't seem likely that the Pirates' other third baseman, Neil Walker, will supplant LaRoche at the Major League level on Opening Day, either.
"Andy has done things at Triple-A that we're hoping that Neil can do," Huntington said. "We used to think that Neil was easily our best defensive third baseman, but that's no longer the case. Andy has worked very hard and is as good, if not better, defensively than Neil at this point."
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
