Pittsburgh Pirates Waiting for Andy LaRoche To Produce

When the Pirates made the decision to trade Jason Bay last July, they were hoping that the package they got in return for their best player was enough to help turn around the struggling franchise as they strive for respectability.

However, just one week into the 2009 season, the centerpiece of that deal, 3B Andy LaRoche, is struggling...big time. At one time, LaRoche was viewed as one of the top prospects in baseball, but he seems a long way's away from that status. LaRoche has not yet registered a hit so far this season and has been a disaster defensively at third base. Simply put, LaRoche isn't doing anything good right now.

If LaRoche continues to struggle, this could put the Pirates in an awkward situation. They want to give LaRoche every opportunity to succeed and show the fanbase that trading away Bay for LaRoche was a justified move. Plus, because the Pirates believe that LaRoche has immense talent and a future with the organization, they will give him every opportunity to right his wrongs and succeed at the Major League level.

"We're going to give Andy every chance to work through this," manager John Russell stated today.

And let's be frank here, the Pirates are going nowhere this season. They play in a very competitive division and do not have the talent to hang with the big guys. There is every reason for the Pirates to be patient with LaRoche and give him all the time in the world to figure out.

But for Pirates fans, this has to be both concerning and annoying. The Pirates have obviously invested a large portion of their future in LaRoche, so it has to be nerve-racking to see this young player struggle in both facets of the game. The judgment of upper management once again must be questioned, but this is nothing new for Pirates fans.

And just for once, it'd be nice to see the Pirates actually be respectable in the NL Central and not be eliminated by the beginning of May. There is no doubt that Ramon Vazquez is the better player right now, but does it actually make sense to start Vazquez over the struggling LaRoche? With the future of the franchise in mind...it does not.

Hopefully, LaRoche can turn it around and become a stud on the Pirates because, Lord knows, they need him to be a very good player.