The Pirates' LaRoche Brothers were better than you remember

There have been many prolific sibling combos throughout baseball history. The Alou and DiMaggio brothers, Phil and Joe Niekro, Gaylord and Jim Perry, and of course, Pittsburgh’s own Paul and Lloyd Waner, “Big Poison” and “Little Poison”, both members of the Hall of Fame. In more recent years, there have been the Molinas, B.J. and Justin Upton, and Kyle and Corey Seager, just to name a few.

David Bednar has a younger brother, Will, currently in the Giants minor league system. Will, a starting pitcher, won the 2021 College World Series with Mississippi State and was a first-round draft pick. Joshua Palacios is the older brother of Richie, an outfielder and second baseman with the Rays, who has also played for the Cardinals and Guardians. On Sept. 2, 2023, Joshua hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the ninth against Richie and the Cardinals, with Bednar picking up the save in the next frame.  

There are also plenty more sibling-related Pirates tie-ins to discuss. During the 1898 season, eventual Pirates icon Honus Wagner, then a member of the Louisville Colonels, faced off against his older brother Albert “Butts" Wagner, who played for the Washington Senators and Brooklyn Grooms that year. Twins Eddie and Johnny O’Brien played together for several seasons with the Pirates back in the ‘50s. This century, the LaRoche brothers, Adam and Andy, are the most recent pair to do so.

Adam was acquired in the 2007 deal that sent the Pirates closer Mike González to the Atlanta Braves. Andy was a part of the blockbuster three-team trade that featured slugger Manny Ramírez and Jason Bay, the face of the Pirates franchise. 

 Their father, Dave, was a two-time All-Star closer, a lefty known for his eephus pitch, who played across 14 seasons for the Angels, Twins, Cubs, Indians and Yankees, earning 126 saves for his career. Of Mexican descent, his last name was originally Garcia, but later changed to LaRoche after his stepfather. Both Adam and Andy were junior college standouts. Adam played for his dad at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, their hometown, and later transferred to Seminole Community College in Oklahoma. He was drafted twice by the Florida Marlins, but did not sign. Adam was taken in the 29th round in the 2000 draft by the Braves and began his professional career. 

Pirates' LaRoche Brothers joined legacy of famous MLB siblings

Andy followed a similar path to his brother, playing for Grayson College, a community college in Texas. He was first drafted by the Padres in 2002, then the Dodgers in the 39th round the following season. Andy was a top prospect in the Dodgers system for a number of years, a third baseman that could hit for average and power. The Pirates needed help at first base after letting Sean Casey and Craig Wilson go at the 2006 trade deadline. Ryan Doumit, José Hernández, Xavier Nady and Joe Randa all saw time at first that season, too.

A pair of prospects were included in the LaRoche-González trade, with Brent Lillibridge heading to Atlanta and Jamie Romak coming to Pittsburgh. González had picked up 24 saves the previous season, and his former setup man Salomón Torres was later replaced by Matt Capps as Pittsburgh’s closer in 2007. Capps, an All-Star with the Nationals in 2010, is now a broadcaster for the Pirates. By the time he joined the Pirates, Adam LaRoche had hit 65 home runs in three seasons for the Braves, notching 32 in 2006. He was a consistent and productive cleanup hitter that drove in runs with an average in the .270 to .280 range annually.

Adam spent two and a half years with the Bucs, and was traded to the Red Sox in July 2009 for prospects Argenis Díaz, a shortstop, and Hunter Strickland, then a starting pitcher. Díaz only played in 10 games for the Pirates in the 2010 season, and Strickland was later waived in 2013 and claimed by the Giants, never pitching for the Pirates in the majors. LaRoche didn’t last long in Boston and was soon dealt back to the Braves. He enjoyed a long and successful big-league tenure, his finest season coming in 2012 with the Nationals. That year, Adam snacked 33 home runs, drove in 100, hit .271 and had an OPS of .853. He won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards at first base, and came in sixth in National League MVP voting.  

Adam LaRoche’s career ended on a sour note with the White Sox in 2016. It is speculated that he retired because his son was no longer allowed in the team’s clubhouse. This decision came during spring training and brought tension between players and manager Robin Ventura. Andy joined Adam in Pittsburgh midway through the 2008 season.  The Pirates also acquired pitchers Bryan Morris (LAD) and Craig Hansen (BOS), as well as corner outfielder Brandon Moss (BOS) in the deal. Moss was a late bloomer and All-Star with the Athletics in 2014. The younger LaRoche isn’t remembered as fondly in Pittsburgh, but his first full season in the majors was respectable. In 150 games at the hot corner, Andy hit .258 with 12 home runs and 64 RBI, which lead the team, for 2.4 bWAR. 

Still, 2009 was a bad year to be a Pirates fan. While we witnessed the emergence of a Pirates icon and future MVP in Andrew McCutchen, there was still plenty to be disappointed with. Nate McLouth was traded to make room for Cutch, and All-Stars Freddy Sánchez and Jack Wilson, two fan favorites, were dealt in late July. They finished the season with 99 losses and were years away from having a winning record and making the postseason.  

After a poor showing in 2010, Andy LaRoche was designated for assignment. He signed a minor-league deal with the Athletics in the offseason, a pattern he would continue with each new team he signed with from that point forward. He got into 40 games with the A’s in 2011, spent all of 2012 in Triple-A with the Pawtucket Red Sox and Columbus Clippers, made one appearance for the Blue Jays in 2013 and finished out the year with their top affiliate in Buffalo. Andy spent the next few seasons in independent ball with the Wichita Wingnuts and Sugar Land Skeeters before calling it quits.  

The LaRoche brothers followed in their father’s footsteps and became coaches after their playing days. Adam is a coach at his alma mater, Fort Scott High School, and Andy is the hitting coach of the Royals' Double-A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Adam has also been a part of the Buck Commander show on The Outdoor Channel with former Braves teammates Chipper Jones, Ryan Langerhans and Tom Martin.  

Adam and Andy played on Pirates teams that finished well under .500 that fans try to forget about. There were some, albeit few, positives, but not enough to overcome the culture of losing that had developed for nearly two decades. You might not want think about those years, and understandably so, but you shouldn’t completely disregard the contributions of everyone from that era. There are some, like the LaRoche brothers, that were much better than you remember.