UMass Magazine Online

Spring 2006

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Prerequisite

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Prerequisite

Letter from Japan
Greg LaRocca ’95 has found his sweet spot playing pro ball in Japan

—Jim Fennell




	Trading pizza for sushi is just one of many adjustments baseballer Greg LaRocca ’95 has made to play pro in Japan

HE HAS LIVED ON THE coast of California, ridden the dusty back roads of Mexico, and strolled along Beale Street in Memphis. He has played in the shadows of the bright casino lights of Las Vegas, the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and the massive neon signs of Tokyo.

But for all that he has seen and done in the past 12 years, Greg LaRocca ’95 still hasn’t found a better slice of pizza than the ones served at Antonio’s on North Pleasant Street in Amherst.

“There’s nothing like it,” LaRocca says.

The memories of his years at UMass Amherst are still precious to the 33-year-old New Hampshire native. He has played for 10 professional teams since leaving college, but says the seasons he spent as a Minuteman were his favorite.

“That was the closest I’ve ever gotten to a bunch of guys,” LaRocca said. “To work hard and believe in what Coach Mike Stone was doing and to go through it with all those guys, you get so close, and to win on top of that was the best time in my career.”

LaRocca is beginning his first season with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League this spring. He joined the Tokyo-based team after spending two years with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

LaRocca was taken aback a week before Thanksgiving 2005 when his agent gave him the news that the Carp weren’t going to renew his contract. LaRocca had been a Central League all-star for the Carp in 2004, his first season in Japan, when he hit 40 home runs, drove in 101 runs, and batted .328. It was good enough to earn him his first million-dollar contract, a two-year deal he signed after the season.

He became a fan favorite, the first foreign player to donate to local charities in Hiroshima, and his wife, Amanda, was also actively involved in the community. But last year was a letdown on the field.

LaRocca pulled a hamstring in spring training, and the injury never fully healed. Then he broke his left thumb. He ended up playing in only 80 games, and while he still managed to hit .303 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs, the notoriously penurious Carp decided to buy out the second year of his contract.

“I was surprised, but on the other hand, it made sense,” LaRocca said. “They needed pitching more than hitting.”

The Swallows quickly offered LaRocca a chance to be their second baseman and gave him an incentive-filled contract that could top seven figures if he stays healthy.

There were a few Major League teams that showed interest in inviting LaRocca to camp, but that was not a path he was interested in traveling down again. Drafted out of UMass Amherst, by the San Diego Padres in the 10th round of the 1994 draft (he returned to campus the following year to finish his degree in business), LaRocca had three trips to the big leagues— a total of 39 games—to show for 10 years of professional baseball in the United States. He was a .297 hitter in six years at Triple-A, but made the decision to go to Japan after spending just five games with the Cleveland Indians in 2003.

“Realistically, I’ll finish my career over here,” he said. “If I do, I have no problem. It’s been everything I could ever ask for.”

The Japanese leagues fall somewhere in between the big leagues and Triple-A. A steady stream of Japanese players, such as Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki, have fared well in the majors, while not every former big leaguer can adapt to the different culture and customs to make it in Japan.

LaRocca said he and his wife would like to stay in Japan for a few more years before he retires and they head home. He said he would rather end his career this way, than being stuck in the minors watching players get called up, players who aren’t as good as he is. That’s what happened in 2003 when he was with Cleveland’s Triple-A team in Buffalo.

“It kind of crushed me. I was hitting .330 at the all-star break and guys who were hitting .230 were getting called up,” LaRocca said. “So it’s great to come over here where I can be a premier player. It’s not the big leagues, but it’s my big leagues.”

LaRocca said he and Amanda have adjusted to life in Japan. They have learned enough Japanese to get around on their own and order meals from restaurants. Amanda has developed a liking for sushi and Greg has found a Mexican restaurant that is pretty good.

But they still haven’t found a pizza place that can match the slices they serve at Antonio’s.

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