Greg LaRocca

Gregory Mark LaRocca (born November 10, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman who played for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians between 2000 and 2003. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 2004 to 2010.

Biography LaRocca attended Manchester High School West in Manchester, New Hampshire and the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 1993, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 10th round (262nd overall) of the 1994 MLB draft.

Major League Baseball

Minor Leagues (1994–1999) LaRocca played for Low-A Spokane Indians and High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. LaRocca is a hitting and fielding instructor in New Hampshire for both private and team consulting.

Style of play LaRocca was a middle of the order hitter who pulled the ball to left field. When he signed with Orix, he formed "big boys batting line" with Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera (including Jose Fernandez in 2009 season). When reporters asked the reasons for the strong showing at Orix, LaRocca replied, "Tuffy hits behind me, I can swing the bat carefully and I can swing the bat hard", placing trust in Rhodes.

LaRocca played second, third, and first base during his career. He had good command of all positions, earning a .945 career fielding percentage at all levels. He excited fans in Japan with many diving stops and throws on the run.

LaRocca was often injured in Japan, in part due to being hit by pitches.

Hit by pitch LaRocca was known in Japan as a player who was often hit by pitches. In 2007, he was hit 28 times, which is a NPB record. In seven seasons up to 2010, he recorded 109 HBP. During that time, his number of at-bats per HBP was about 21.8 (2375 AB / 109 HBP), more than twice as much as the previous record.

In 2007 he had a remarkable 20 HBP just in the first half of the season. Before the All-Star Game, LaRocca said "I thought that there would be no [hit by pitches] in the All-Star game", but he was struck by Koharu Uehara in his first bat. LaRocca was uninjured, and Uehara spread both hands to appeal for health. On September 17, LaRocca had his 25th HBP of the season, thrown Shibuya Naoyuki of the Lotte Marines, and passing the Japanese record set by Yoshiyuki Iwamoto. LaRocca then waved hands towards the crowd and took a bow. In the same year's salary negotiation, it turned out that LaRocca was hoping for an "unprecedented" incentive at the number of HBP. Among the increase in annual salary, "treatment expenses" of injuries caused by HBP were included.

Personal life September 28, 2007, the Orix team announced that it would donate 100 million yen to the Research Promotion Foundation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. LaRocca revealed how he offered the donation. "I want to repay for Japan", he said.

Greg is married to his wife, Amanda. They have two children together. They reside in New Hampshire.

LaRocca has played in the Wounded Warriors Project softball game in 2016 and 2017 as a member of the celebrity team. The game is played as a fundraiser to aid veterans injured in combat.

Statistics

Batting Performance by Year YearTeamGamesPlate AppearancesAt-BatsRunsHitsDoubleTripleHomeRunsTotal BasesRBIStolen BasesCaught StealingSacrifice HitsSacrifice FlyWalksIntentional WalkHit By PitchStrikeoutsGround Into Double PlayBatting The bold in each year is the highest in league, the Italics is the highest in NPB

Records and awards

Awards All Star : 2 times (2004: second baseman, 2007: third baseman)

Records

NPB Firsts First appearance: April 2, 2004, vs. Chunichi Dragons First hit: April 2, 2004 vs. Chunichi Dragons First Steal Base: April 9, 2004, Yokohama Bay Stars First home run: April 9, 2004, Yokohama Bay Stars First Hit By Pitch: April 14, 2004, Hanshin Tigers

NPB Milestones 100 homers: August 28, 2007, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 251st person in history 100 HBP: July 28, 2009 Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 13th in history (the fastest in history)

NPB Records Season 28 HBP (2007, Japan professional baseball record) 1 inning 2 home runs: May 11, 2006, Seibu Lions (17th in history) All-Star game participation: 2 times (2004, 2007)

Jersey numbers 20 (2000) 62 (2002–2003) 43 (2004–2005) 29 (2006) 30 (2007–2010)