A Major League Baseball player plays 162 games over a six-month period. For a father, this means a significant amount of time spent away from his home and children. So when Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche was asked to “dial it back” on the amount of time that his 14-year-old son Drake spent in the team’s clubhouse, he walked away from the $13 million he would have earned under contract this season and announced a decision to retire.
On Friday, LaRoche explained in more detail his decision to walk away from the sport he loves. In a post on twitlonger.com, the 36-year-old wrote that bringing his son with him to the clubhouse had never been an issue in the past and was something he discussed with the White Sox prior to signing a contract with them. He also said that he understands there will be people who will not understand his decision but reaffirmed his reasoning.
"I live by certain values that are rooted in my faith, and I am grateful to my parents for that," LaRoche wrote. "I have tried to set a good example on and off the field and live a life that represents these values. As fathers, we have an opportunity to help mold our kids into men and women of character, with morals and values that can't be shaken by the world around them. Of one thing I am certain: we will regret NOT spending enough time with our kids, not the other way around."
With a reputation as a family man, LaRoche, whose own father played major league baseball, is well-respected among those in the baseball community.
“Like few players, LaRoche understood baseball, even at the highest level, as a family endeavor,” Adam Kilgore, a Washington Post sports writer who covered the Washington Nationals during LaRoche’s time with the club, said. “He never sensed any apprehension from the people who mattered most to him professionally — his teammates — about Drake hanging around. He had a rich life outside of baseball, no matter how much he loved the sport. And when White Sox vice president Ken Williams asked him to dial back Drake’s presence, LaRoche viewed it not as an order, but a choice. And his choice, considering his history, is not all that surprising.”
His unexpected announcement left in its wake a firestorm of opinions about an issue some believe goes deeper than baseball.
“I honestly think this is between good and evil,” Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Blaine Boyer said. “I know which side Adam lives on. I’m thankful to see the way he’s acting. … It’s an unbelievable test of who he is, the husband he is, the father he is.”
His teammates, both past and present, have been among the most vocal. Many of them have spoken out regarding Drake’s time spent in the clubhouse.
“When he was with us, Drake was never in the way,” Bryce Harper, who drank sparkling cider with Drake when the Nationals won the 2012 National League East Title, told The Washington Post. “The one thing about Drake is that he cleaned cleats and helped with the laundry or did stuff like what a clubhouse kid would do. He hit in the cage as well. He was one of the guys. It was fun to see him around.”
Other players from around the league have also showed their support.
“Our families sacrifice so much for us to play this game,” the Detroit Tigers’ Joba Chamberlain said. “The time we get to be around our kids is such a valuable commodity. It’s a special game, a game where we get to hang out with 25 of our brothers and get to know them. My son has had so many men around him that have been great influences. I think that’s what Adam was trying to create for his son.”
His teammates on the Chicago White Sox have also expressed their frustrations with the way in which the situation was handled.
“If we’re truly here to win a championship and come together and play as a team and win as a team, these issues don’t come up,” Sox pitcher Chris Sale said. “Somebody walked out those doors the other day and it was the wrong guy, plain and simple.”
The media has chimed in with its own views of the situation.
“LaRoche, one of the classiest players in baseball, should not leave the game this way,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote. “This has nothing to do with money. He can’t walk out on his teammates. He can’t let his son grow up wondering if he were responsible for shortening his father’s career.”
Williams spoke out in an attempt to defend his position.
“We all think his kid is a great young man. I just felt it should not be every day, that’s all,” Williams said. “You tell me, where in this country can you bring your child to work every day?”
Ironically, LaRoche asked a similar question during an interview in 2012.
“How many other jobs do you get to take your son to the field?” LaRoche said before reminiscing on his own time as a major league baseball player’s son. “… It’s memories I’ll never forget. Some of my best times growing up so I’d like Drake to have the same ones.”
Email: mjones@deseretdigital.com