Braves Promote Second Base Prospect Tommy La Stella
By Jason Mast
Mar 16, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman
Tommy La Stella(84) hits an RBI double during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Desperate for a viable option at second base, the Braves have promoted middle infield prospect Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Gwinnet Wednesday Morning, inserting him into last night’s starting lineup against the Red Sox.
La Stella wasted little time in delivering. He lined a curveball up the middle for his first major league hit in the fourth and finished the game with a pair of hits in four at bats.
Those stats are not out of line for the 25 year old rookie. Overlooked by scouts who viewed him as too far lacking in power or fielding ability to succeed at the big league level, La Stella made a name for himself in the minors with his line drive swing and patience at the plate. In 323 plate appearances for Double-A Mississippi last season, La Stella posted a gaping .343/.422/.473 slash line. He walked more times (37) than he struck out (34), a trend he has continued in 2014.
The result? Finally, some recognition in the prospect community for a player who has performed since the moment he was drafted. Last winter, La Stella was listed as the 7th best prospect in the Braves’ system by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, 9th by ESPN’s Keith Law, and 6th by our rankings.
La Stella isn’t going to repeat his gaudy stats in the majors; his Triple-A line before the callup he was a respectable but not spectacular .293/.384/.359, but that’s good enough for the Braves, who will take any help they can get.
Atlanta second baseman have simply been abysmal at the plate this year, particularly when it comes to reaching first. Former All Star Dan Uggla was hitting .184 with a .241 OBP when he lost his starting job on May 6th. His replacements have been little better. In 13 games this year at second base, Ramiro Pena has gotten on base at an anemic .214 clip. Taylor Pastornicky has the “best” on base at “.313.” None of the player showed any power either, and Pastornicky was sent down to make room for La Stella.
Steamer, Fangraphs’ Sabemetric Predictor, forecasts a .340 OBP for La Stella, a decent projections for a rookie, but one he can certainly outperform. In the field, La Stella has historically been a passable at best second baseman, but the Braves, namely Triple-A manager Brian Snitkar, are reportedly impressed by his progress with the glove this year. Snitkar also told Fox Sports reporters that La Stella has worked diligently to improve this spring.
Snitkar also praised Stella’s work ethic and professionalism.“(La Stella has) handled himself pretty well for the first year of Triple-A ball,” said Snitker, who also coached Uggla from 2011 to 2013 as the Braves’ third-base coach. “You know, and it’s like I told him: we all have stuff that we have to work on. And it never stops. The day Chipper (Jones) retired, he was working on stuff. Nobody complete figures this stuff out. It’s just the kind of sport it is.”