The first thing you noticed, upon entering the clubhouse of the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Ariz., this spring training, was the jersey hanging in the corner stall. It looked just like all the others and was given the same prominence, but it was much smaller. Its owner, Drake LaRoche, No. 25, is only 14 years old. His father, Adam, was the White Sox’ designated hitter.
LaRoche, who is 36 and has played 12 seasons in the majors, announced his retirement on Friday with a letter he posted on Twitter. LaRoche said that Kenny Williams, the team’s executive vice president, had first told him to significantly scale back his son’s time in the clubhouse.