First Base Situation

I seem to be one of the only people who isn’t that upset about the LaRoche trade. Not only do I think Gonzalez is going to add phenomenal depth to the bullpen, but I think he’ll be a good back-up to Wickman and ready to take over for him when he retires. All that aside, I also think that Thorman is going to be a good replacement for LaRoche. My dad and I sat at several games at the beginning of last year complaining about how timid LaRoche was at times to “get down and dirty” so-to-speak over at 1st base. He did get better as the season wore on, but he always seemed reluctant to make a dive for the close ones. I guess I just always assumed he was afraid of getting hurt. Chipper was like this for awhile early on in his career, but amazingly enough he’s better about it now (amazing because you’d think he’d be more afraid of getting hurt now after all his time on the disabled list).

In an AJC article today (which prompted this post because I agree whole-heartedly), Thorman was noted for his “anything-for-the-team” attitude and aggressiveness. This is what I want to see in any player. I always liked LaRoche as a person, and I think he was a good guy and was developing into a good ballplayer, but I think he was missing that “special something” that great players have. I’d like to see how Thorman progresses over the next season or two because I think he has the potential for that “special something.”

I’ll let you all know if I still feel the same after seeing him at spring training in a few weeks.