Fantasy Baseball: Should You Own Adam LaRoche?

Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche is tearing the cover off the ball to start the year, hitting for average, power, and has been highly productive driving his teammates in.

Despite his hot start, LaRoche is owned in less than half of fantasy leagues. The question is whether you should add him to your team and raise that percentage.

The way the lefty is swinging the bat, I don’t see why not.

He's locked and loaded and the 32 year old has a solid enough track record to make his 2011 debacle a distant memory. He hit .172 in 43 games for the Nats. His .546 OPS was just brutal. It’s a new year, though, and he has turned it around in the early going.

LaRoche is a guy that had hit 20 or more homers the previous six years, averaging 24.7 HRs per season during the stretch. He also averaged 87.3 RBI.

Is he guaranteed to keep this form and return to being that hitter?

Of course not, but it does seem likely that last year is a fluke and he's the hitter that we have come to like and sometimes love.

I say sometimes because LaRoche is the type of hitter that has a track record of being much better in the second half of the year.

The fact that he’s getting it done early is encouraging.

Adam hits nearly 50 points higher (.295) and sports over 100 points higher of an OPS (.889) after the All-Star Break. He has more HRs despite nearly 500 fewer at bats.

If you have a roster spot available, give him a shot. You could get some nice power and RBI production.

If he tails off, you can decide if he’s worth waiting for that second-half splurge.

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