while he was still at Grayson County JC.

LaRoche was assigned to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League (R), where he batted .211/.263 (AVG/SLG) on just 19 at-bats.

In 2004 he started the season playing for Columbus in the Class A South Atlantic League. He picked up the pace on a full season of work, batting .283/.525 in 244 at-bats, 65 games.

Andy began the 2005 season in Class A Vero Beach in the Florida State League. Playing for the VB Dodgers, he powered a .333/.651 performance on 21 home runs, 14 doubles, and 51 RBIs, striking out only 38 times.

Promoted to Jacksonville, he's been a bit more quiet, batting .273/.477 to date.

The Dodgers tried to move him to third, but it didn't set well. They started playing him back at short. He has the speed and agility to do well at the short position. He's had some soreness that can affect his play, but it doesn't appear to be a chronic problem.

With the clearance of some of the infield depth chart above him, including Guzman's probable relocation to the outfield and Joe Thurston's dispatch to the Yankees organization, the waters seem to be flowing the right way for LaRoche.

Andy is from a baseball family. Those over 35 may remember dad Dave, the pitcher who played largely with the Angels then wound up his career in New York with the Yankees. Brother Adam LaRoche may see Andy from first base for the Braves when they play the Dodgers.

We see that scenario as likely in 2007. LaRoche is still moving through the farm quickly, but, as his current season numbers indicate, he'll have a few landing plateaus before springboarding up to the major leagues.