LaRoche baffled by poor showing for Chicago White Sox
Adam LaRoche is pulling off the impossible. He is making White Sox fans miss Adam Dunn.
Signed to a two-year, $25 million free-agent contract over the winter to replace Dunn, who was a strikeout machine on the South Side from 2011-14, LaRoche was supposed to be a much better contact hitter than Dunn with a little less power.
Through four months of the season, LaRoche hasn't been much of anything.
After Wednesday night's 3-2 interleague loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at U.S. Cellular Field, LaRoche has a .218/.316/.361 hitting line with only 9 home runs and 33 RBI. He also ranks sixth in the American League with 97 strikeouts (in 294 at-bats).
With the Washington Nationals last season, LaRoche had a .259/.362/.455 slash line with 26 homers, 92 RBI and only 108 strikeouts in 494 at-bats.
LaRoche was 0-for-4 Wednesday and was loudly booed by the crowd of 30,046 in the eighth inning after striking out on three pitches with runners on first and third.
A 35-year-old veteran with 12 years of major-league experience, LaRoche has yet to find a way to get the bat going.
"It's confusing, frustrating," he said. "You think you've figured it out for an at-bat or two and then it's gone. In the past, I've been able to figure it out and then hold on to it for a while. You just keep going and keep pushing."
Like Dunn, LaRoche is a National League import who has failed to adapt to the designated hitter role. When he has played first base for the Sox this season, he's batting .255. As a DH, he's at .201.
Like Dunn, LaRoche is a left-handed dead pull hitter, and he has had numerous hits taken away by opposing defensive shifts. Still, LaRoche was supposed to be so much better than what he has showed.
"I've had times when I've taken two or three really bad swings and gotten 2 or 3 hits off it," LaRoche said. "Sometimes that can spark it. Other times you're feeling really good, square up on some balls and get nothing out of it, so you try to change something and start a slump that way. It's a mental grind."
It's not fair to put all the blame on LaRoche for the White Sox' offensive woes. In all honesty, third baseman Tyler Saladino is the only Sox hitter who is consistently dangerous at the plate, and he has been in the major leagues for less than two weeks. Like Dunn, however, LaRoche has been a huge disappointment.
"Well, you keep swinging and you keep working," LaRoche said. "There's only so much video you can watch, only so many things you can go back and look at that you think might have been different in the past. The fact is you just have to get in the box and be confident, expect good things to happen."
If LaRoche isn't traded by the July 31 nonwaiver deadline - and there doesn't appear to be much outside interest, given his numbers - he has nowhere to go but up with the White Sox.
"You're always looking at a guy that has been in the league this long and you can't put your finger on it," manager Robin Ventura said. "It can be a slight mechanical thing. He might not be seeing it very well. The combination of those can be tough."
Scouting report
White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet today, Friday, Sunday; WGN Saturday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Sox' Jeff Samardzija (6-5) vs. Trevor Bauer (8-6) today at 6:10 p.m.; Jose Quintana (4-9) vs. Corey Kluber (5-10) Friday at 6:10 p.m.; Chris Sale (8-5) vs. Carlos Carrasco (10-7) Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; Carlos Rodon (3-3) vs. Danny Salazar (8-5) Sunday at 12:10 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox are 4-5 vs. the Indians this season. They head to Cleveland after playing 19 straight series vs. teams that had winning records. Cleveland is 19-26 at home, 26-22 on the road. Samardzija, who might be traded on this road trip that wraps up with four games at Boston, is 2-3 with a 5.29 ERA in 10 road starts. Bauer is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA this season vs. the White Sox.
Next: Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Monday-Thursday
- Scot Gregor