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Pirates slugger Adam LaRoche

The Pittsburgh Pirates got the big left-handed bat they were seeking this off-season with the trade for first baseman Adam LaRoche. The 27-year-old LaRoche hit .285 with 32 homers and 90 RBI last season and was seventh in the NL with a .561 slugging percentage. The Pittsburgh Sports Report's George Von Benko had an interesting Q&A session with the lefty slugger when he was in town for PirateFest.

PSR: What was your initial reaction when you heard about the trade?

A.L.: A little bit of mixed emotions. It had nothing to do with the amount of wins we had in Atlanta and the amount of wins they had here. It was just the fact of leaving home. I think it's kind of natural anytime. I have a wife and two kids, so it's not just me anymore. Atlanta was home for us for three years, and our friends and obviously my wife's friends, and whatever else you leave in a city that you're close to can be tough. Getting here and meeting with the owners, the GM, everybody that's part of this it really got me excited.

PSR: I know you are in for Pirate Fest - you will be overwhelmed by the fans greetings?

A.L.: Well, I don't show it a whole lot and probably never will, but I'm about as excited as they are I think. I got to meet some of them and it seems like a great group of fans. I was talking to some of the guys and they said go out and play hard, do everything you can do, and these fans will love you. They said they're not like some of the fans we've all seen, and I'm not going to name the cities, but there's some out there that are spoiled and not your true baseball fans. It sounds like they are here.

PSR: What about the pressure of being viewed as the guy that going to turn the franchise around - is that a lot to put on your shoulders?

A.L.: It is - but to be honest with you I'm not going to put that on my shoulders because I know doing that is not going to help on the field. I'm going to go out there and have fun and hopefully bring what I learned in Atlanta from Chipper (Jones) and Andruw (Jones) and (John) Smoltz and the older guys over there. Nobody panics, just keep playing, and keep taking the field and it's going to turn around. When you get everybody thinking like that it's amazing how many games you can win.

PSR: There was an awful lot of talk about your attention deficit disorder problem and the medication you started taking. Is too much being made of that?

A.L.: Oh, there is no doubt that too much is made of that. Everybody I've talked to has brought that up. I can't pinpoint it and I can't say that the medication didn't help or that it was all the medication. I did start playing everyday and I said all along that I need to play against lefties regardless of the numbers - I need to get in there to get my swing back as far as hitting the ball the other way. For a couple years I wasn't playing against lefties…I think finally when I did get in there and was seeing lefties every other day then it was helping me against right-handers also. But the medication definitely didn't hurt. I think it does help. I don't know if it helps as much at the plate because that's so quick. It's more for in the dugout or out in the field or just staying focused.

PSR: You played in PNC Park. That short right field porch has to be inviting for you.

A.L.: Yeah, it could be. I heard a lot about that and thought a lot about that. That's another one of those things where I'm going to try and forget about it as fast as I can, because I know the sooner I can forget about it the more balls I'm going to hit out there. I think any hitter will tell you that when you start trying to make things happen to right field it can be pretty tough. I'd like to get back to my stroke that I did find towards the end of last season where I was hitting to all fields, and just by doing that I started pulling more balls. Trust me, I've thought about that fence. I love that stadium.

PSR: Everybody talks about your offense, but you take a lot of pride in your defense, don't you?

A.L.: Yeah, I take that probably more serious than my hitting. Hitting is going to come and go, but defense is something that there is never an excuse for. You can't let some bad at bats affect you in the field. Defense is something that I take more pride in than my hitting.

PSR: Are you excited about this young Pirates team and their chances this season?

A.L.: I am, I really am. I wasn't as excited until I got there and really saw the roster and how young the guys were, and how they're locking a lot of these guys up for the next three years and wanting everybody to stick together and be able to play together. I'm more than excited.