White Sox: Father of the Year

Unconditional love is what you provide your children and a White Sox player proved that by walking away from a $13 million dollar contract for his son.

MLB’s White Sox player, Adam LaRoche, exceeds the definition of what a father should be!

2016 Chicago White Sox Photo Day
Glendale, Ariz. – Feb. 27: Adam LaRoche, #25 of the Chicago White Sox, poses during Photo Day on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. (Photo by David Durochik/MLB Photos via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Adam LaRoche

A veteran of the Chicago White Sox with 12 years of experience, Adam LaRoche (#25), has given up his bat and glove to be with his son. LaRoche was the designated hitter and first baseman of the team. Throughout his career, La Roche’s stats are as follows: AVG .260, HR 255, RBI 882 and OBP .336. In the 2015 season alone, his stats were: AVG .207, HR 12, RBI 44 and OBP .293.

For those who aren’t familiar with baseball terminology, AVG stands for the “batting average.” It’s measured by a player’s batting ability by comparing the number of hits a player has to the number of at bats. HR stands for “home run.” The ball is hit in such a way that it leaves the field of play, allowing the batter to circle the bases and reach home safely in one play. OBP stands for “on-base percentage.” It reflects how often a player can draw a walk. It is the total number of hits plus walks, divided by total plate appearances. RBI stands for “runs batted in.” Anytime a player gets a hit and a base runner scores on that hit, the player is credited.

LaRoche’s son, Drake, who is 14 years old, was asked to decrease the frequencies of his visits to the clubhouse. LaRoche was offended at this request because he knew his son caused no problems when he did visit. His son merely watched his father pursue his passion: baseball. LaRoche decided to walk a way from his 2015 season earnings of $13 million. LaRoche has already filled out his retirement papers, but the White Sox have asked him to reconsider as they are hesitant to submitting the paperwork to Major League Baseball’s central office.

“Sometimes people forget the true value of family because one is so focused on providing for the family that they are blinded at the time spent away from family,” said Rod Reyes, Dumont resident and proud father of six.

Overall,this topic can be considered a double-edged sword. What employer allows one to bring his/her child to work on a daily basis? If one employer allows it, does that entitle other employers to do the same? Fans might not all agree on LaRoche or the White Sox’s choices, but the most important thing to retain from this is the unbreakable bond between father and son. Rather than letting his work interfere with the love for his son, in which some parents do, LaRoche took a stand and decided that wasn’t going to happen to his family.

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