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Immediate retirement announcements at this stage of spring training are rare, with Opening Day getting closer. But Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche has done just that, with Tuesday’s news he has informed the team he intends to call it a career.
Adam LaRoche has told White Sox he plans to step away from baseball. Teammates asked him to sleep on it, but he’s confident in decision.
— Colleen Kane (@ChiTribKane) March 15, 2016
LaRoche cited personal reasons for his decision to walk away, while expressing confidence that it’s the right thing for him and suggesting he would have more to add in the coming days.
A back issue that limited him at some points this spring may have been a factor in LaRoche’s decision to retire. He also had a very disappointing first season with the White Sox in 2015, with a .207/.293/.340 slash-line, 12 home runs and 44 RBIs over 484 plate appearances. The prospect of letting his teammates down again this season may have been enough to push LaRoche toward retirement.
Over 12 seasons with six teams (Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals as well as the White Sox), LaRoche will finish with 255 career home runs and 1,452 career hits. He had nine seasons with at least 20 home runs, with his best seasons coming with the Braves in 2006 (.285, 32 home runs, 90 RBIs), the Diamondbacks in 2010 (25 home runs, 100 RBIs) and the Nationals in 2012 (33 home runs, 100 RBIs). LaRoche also holds a unique distinction of having hit 25 or more home runs in a season for four different teams.
LaRoche is walking away from $13 million for this season, but he has earned close to $72 million during his career and apparently has other business interests. LaRoche deserves credit for knowing what’s most important to him, and when enough might simply be enough in terms of the physical toll of continuing to play.
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