Just a thought

Adam LaRoche is now hitting .271/.343/.491. He's got more homers this year in 522 plate appearances than he did in 632 last year. That's not an exceptional line for a first baseman, but it is an acceptable one and he'll be worth the $7 million or whatever that he's paid in arbitration. I'd guess that he's a good candidate to hold on to over the winter and hope that he hits in April to make him a really good sell high guy in June and July when he catches fire.

But more to the point is this: hitting is hitting, whether it comes all in a bunch in the second half or spread out evenly over the year. So wouldn't you rather have a guy that was utterly predictable in his slumps and hot streaks then someone that hit well in a randomly fluctuating pattern? We KNOW LaRoche won't hit in April, so we should bat him lower in the order then. As the weather heats up, we KNOW we can move him up in the lineup because he's going to hit better. In some ways, isn't that less maddening than Nate McLouth's on/off streaks this year that have come dispersed throughout the season without warning? It's frustrating as hell to watch early in the season, but I think everyone's too hard on the guy.