Adam LaRoche says Andy needs to “hang in there”

Since Pedro Alvarez took over third base, there hasn’t been many Andy LaRoche sightings. Used primarily as a pinch-hitter LaRoche’s average continues to sit around the Mendoza line.

LaRoche is batting .204. He has just one hit in his last 26 at-bats, 11 in his past 92.

Adam LaRoche (Andy’s older brother and ex-Pirate) said the reason for his struggles is his lack of playing time. –Andy has started just three times since July 4th.

“I can’t relate to what’s happening to Andy in the sense that he’s getting three or four at-bats a week,” Adam LaRoche said Sunday. “I don’t know the answer. I’ve told him to hang in there. What can you do? Hopefully, sooner than later, get a change of scenery and kind of have a fresh start.”

Andy has decided to pay winter ball in Venezuela to get some more at-bats. He is eligible for arbitration and considering his lack of playing time, I would highly doubt the Pirates would tender him.

“He needs that for himself,” Adam LaRoche said. “He needs to go prove to himself that he can still play this game and that other teams can still benefit from having him.”

General Manager Neal Huntington addressed LaRoche’s lack of playing time.

“Obviously, when we traded for Andy, we expected more,” Huntington said. “It’s tough to go from playing regularly to a bench role, and it can take time to get used to it. Some never get used to it. We’ve talked a lot about quantity of quality. We need to have a number of good prospects at every position. Andy LaRoche has a good chance to bounce back. You see guys like this in the All-Star Game every year. But, to this point, Andy is one example of why you can’t count on just that one prospect. They don’t always make it.”