The Poise of LaRoche

Andy LaRoche, that is. See how team-oriented he is? Check out this little tibdit, pointed out to me at Dodger Thoughts:

"

But La Roche's finest moment came in the ninth inning. The Dodgers trailed 2-1 with runners on second and third with none out after a double by Fernando Tatis. For a young player pining to make a season-opening roster, this would have been the perfect situation to try to impress, to swing hard at everything in hopes of getting the big hit that would turn that one-run deficit into a one-run lead.

But instead of getting overeager and chasing pitches out of his zone, La Roche patiently worked Adkins for a walk to load the bases, and ultimately he came around to score what would have been an important run if this were an important game. And that is the sort of thing general managers and managers tend to notice."

How can you leave this kid out of the active roster April 1 ;). Agreed, he only went 1-for-5 at DH yesterday against the Minnesota Twins, but there are so many things that he already does the right way, I'm tempted to take even a closer look at the "race for third base" between him and Wilson Betemit.