Tommy La Stella

La Stella joined the Angels in 2019 after four seasons in Chicago and shocked the baseball world with a power surge nobody saw coming. To put things in perspective, La Stella began the season with 10 home runs in 828 career at-bats; he matched that total in his 102nd at-bat with the Angels and hit 16 homers in the first half, earning his first All-Star berth in the process. Unfortunately, the good times came to an abrupt end in early July when La Stella fouled a ball off his right shin and fractured his tibia, all but ending his season. Surprisingly, nothing in La Stella's Statcast numbers screams out the reason for his sudden power stroke; La Stella himself attributed it to a new mentality at the plate. While he did log nine at-bats at the end of September, the true test of the sustainability of La Stella's transformation will come next season. If it proves to be real, he could be an elite infield option.

La Stella appeared in 123 games for the Cubs last season, but made just 24 starts. The veteran infielder struggled as a starter, slashing just .222/.267/.235 in 88 plate appearances, but he excelled as a substitute, posting a .312/.398/.416 slash line in 90 pinch-hit plate appearances (most in the majors). La Stella saw his strikeout and walk rates both go in the wrong direction, though they still sat at 14.1% and 8.9%, respectively. After the season, the Cubs opted to trade La Stella to the Angels in exchange for Conor Lillis-White rather than tender him a contract. While La Stella could get a chance to compete for an everyday gig with the Angels, Los Angeles has better internal options at second and third base, so he'll likely remain in a part-time utility role barring an injury.

The Cubs didn't have much playing time available for La Stella last season, but he was an effective left-handed bat off the bench when called upon. Most of his time in the field was split between second base and third base, and as long as the Cubs have Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist available to cover multiple positions, it's difficult to imagine a larger role for La Stella. If he were to end up on another 25-man roster, he could see an uptick in playing time. La Stella has a good eye at the plate, and a good hit tool, but he lacks the raw power necessary to hit more than 12-15 homers even if he becomes a starter for a prolonged stretch down the road. Even on a team with less depth, La Stella is ideally suited for a part-time role as a pinch-hitter who consistently offers quality plate appearances.

La Stella cracked the Cubs' Opening Day roster as a part-time player, and opened the year with a .291/.378/.494 line in 38 games before he hit the disabled list with a hamstring strain in early June. Things took an unusual turn from there, as his eventual activation from the DL was halted by a demotion back to Triple-A prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and the veteran infielder initially refused to report to Des Moines for the assignment. After a change of heart in mid-August, La Stella returned to the organization and put himself back in the good graces of the front office to the point of earning a September callup when rosters expanded. A patient left-handed bat with a modicum of pop, La Stella is a useful bench piece for a big league club, but it remains to be seen if he can hit enough to merit being placed on the large side of a platoon. With health, a slight increase in playing time is a possibility in 2017.

The Cubs liked La Stella's batting eye and versatility when they acquired him from Atlanta in November of 2014, but injuries and the emergence of a number of other youngsters limited him to just 33 games with his new team last year. He was an above-average prospect in the Braves' system after slashing .343/.422/.473 in half a season with Double-A Mississippi in 2013. Unfortunately, his major league numbers have been disappointing, with just two home runs, two stolen bases and a .327 on-base percentage in 386 at-bats. On the other hand, his strong career 41:47 BB:K is a contrast to most of his teammates. He'll likely play a bit of second and third again this year, but he's a bench player for the Cubs unless injuries strike.

Dan Uggla's demise put La Stella on the radar heading into 2014, and it was less than two months before he officially took over the starting second base job in Atlanta. His keen eye at the plate was apparent from the get-go, as La Stella hit .292/.371/.357 with 20 strikeouts against 19 walks prior to the All-Star break, but he failed make the necessary adjustments as pitchers learned his tendencies and thus floundered to a .565 OPS in the second half, ultimately losing his starting job to Phil Gosselin late in the season. The Cubs, liking his contact and on-base skills, acquired La Stella from the Braves for right-hander Arodys Vizcaino in November. There's a remote chance he could work himself into a regular role at second base to begin the year, but La Stella won't be much of a factor outside of OBP leagues regardless given his utter lack of power and speed, even at a premium middle-infield position.

While Tyler Pastornicky is an obvious candidate for playing time at second base if Dan Uggla is dealt, La Stella is definitely in the mix as well, after raking at Double-A Mississippi (.343/.422/.473) in 2013. He also drew the praise of the team's director of player development, Bruce Manno, with an impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League. The 25-year-old La Stella is very disciplined at the plate, as evidenced by his 35 strikeouts in 303 at-bats last season, and even if the Braves can't unload Uggla, a hot start in the minors could put him in contention for a major league roster spot. Further, La Stella offers significantly more upside at the plate than Pastornicky, making him a better speculative target for those in deeper formats.

The Braves may have struck gold in the eighth round of the 2011 draft with La Stella. With an underrated glove and a big bat, he is being viewed as the team's future second baseman. Dan Uggla is firmly entrenched as their current second baseman and his contract runs through 2015 so there is no need to rush La Stella. Still, he hit .328/.401/.543 in 63 games at Low-A in 2011 and followed that up with a .302/.386/.460 line in High-A in 2012. If he keeps hitting like that, he is going to force the Braves to continue advancing him.