Not so long ago Andy LaRoche was considered one of the elite prospects in baseball.
He ranked among Baseball America‘s top 20 in both 2006 and 2007, placed in BA‘s top 100 for two other years as well, and was arguably the centerpiece of the package Pittsburgh received when trading Jason Bay in mid-2008.
Last week the Pirates dropped LaRoche from the 40-man roster and today the 26-year-old third baseman passed through waivers unclaimed to become a free agent.
In other words, none of the 30 teams felt his upside warranted a spot on the 40-man roster.
And it’s tough to blame them. LaRoche posted very strong numbers in the minors and the Pirates gave him plenty of chances to establish himself, including 142 starts in 2009, but he’s hit just .224 with a .304 on-base percentage and .338 slugging percentage in 1,228 plate appearances as a major leaguer.