LaRoche feels good about swing: Nationals 1B Adam LaRoche, who is assured a starting job in 2012 now that Prince Fielder has chosen to sign elsewhere, continues to make progress in his recovery from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the final two-thirds of the 2011 season, according to the Washington Post. “It feels good,” LaRoche said. “I’ve been really excited swinging the bat. It feels a lot stronger than it has in a while. I almost forgot that feeling of it feeling really good swinging. I’m able to hit." That said, LaRoche's hitting is ahead of his throwing at this point. He plans to report to spring training earlier than usual just to make sure he's up to par defensively. “As far as throwing, it’s coming along," he said. "It’s feeling a lot better than it did. It’s not 100 percent. I think it’s just a matter of stretching it back out. As far as being healed, I think it’s there. It’s just not quite in shape, which is OK. It’ll take time.” (Updated 01/25/2012)
Injury Report
Shoulder - Probable for start of spring training (Updated - 1/5/12)
Fantasy Analysis
Though LaRoche now has to proceed knowing he wasn't many fans' and perhaps the organization's first choice at first base, it's not going to affect his psyche. “I can’t say I cared about it,” he said. “I didn’t lose any sleep over it. It would have obviously been a disappointment. I think everybody knows we’re turning the corner right now, and I wanted to be a part of that.” LaRoche's numbers were miserable before he succumbed to surgery last year, but you have to remember he was playing with a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder. If he feels good swinging the bat now, he has a good chance of rebounding to his usual 25-homer standard. He's a solid low-end contributor at the deep first base position. (Updated 01/25/2012).
12/15/2011 09:31 Notebook: Rangers might grab Fielder with kick at the finish
They haven't even reached the starting gate, but don't count the Rangers out of the Prince Fielder Derby. In fact, oddsmaker Jon Heyman lists them as the morning-line favorite to add the free-agent slugger to their already potent lineup.
Adam LaRoche hit .172 in 151 at-bats last year, which will immediately turn some Fantasy owners off to him. But the reason he hit only .172 is likely the same reason he had only 151 at-bats. His season ended in late May due to a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. And it's not like he just injured the shoulder the day before. He knew before the season that he had a torn rotator cuff and labrum, but he opted to play through it. Clearly, that didn't go so well, which was why he decided to pull the plug on his season, but for Fantasy purposes, the damage was done. He didn't live up to the investment that his owners had made in him, and now he's not a player they want. But keep in mind he had seven straight seasons of 20-plus homers prior to last year. That may not be a notable achievement among first basemen, but in leagues that use corner infield and utility spots, it's reason to keep LaRoche on your radar. Granted, he's no guarantee to return to that standard after shoulder surgery, but early reports are good. You can probably pass him over in standard leagues, but you wouldn't want to dismiss his power potential in deeper formats. (Updated 1/27/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
