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Tommy La Stella
Tommy La Stella
31-Year-Old Second Baseman2B
Los Angeles Angels
2019 Stats
AVG
.295
HR
16
RBI
44
R
49
SB
0
2020 Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
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2020 Fantasy Outlook
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. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
#304
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
Overall
#Subscriber-Only
Second Baseman
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League Majors
Bats L
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 5'11"
Weight 170
DOB 1/31/1989
Born Westwood, NJ
College Coastal Carolina
Drafted 8th Rd 2011 ATL
$Agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Angels in January of 2020.
Returns to lineup
2BLos Angeles Angels
March 7, 2020
La Stella (back) is leading off and starting at second base Saturday.
ANALYSIS
He missed a couple games with a stiff back, but it was evidently a minor issue. La Stella appears poised to lead off in front of Mike Trout this season, at least against right-handed pitchers.
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Batting Stats
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2019
2018
2017
2019 MLB Game Log
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Scoring
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2018 MLB Game Log
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2017 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
34
2
6
9
4
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
3
2
3
4
2
4
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2017
 
 
+18%
OPS vs RHP
2019
 
 
+24%
OPS vs RHP
2018
 
 
+84%
OPS vs RHP
2017
 
 
+18%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2017vs Left .692 124 17 4 12 0 .254 .315 .377
Since 2017vs Right .817 528 73 18 73 0 .292 .364 .453
2019vs Left .712 89 10 3 7 0 .265 .315 .398
2019vs Right .880 226 39 13 37 0 .306 .358 .522
2018vs Left .384 22 3 0 3 0 .111 .273 .111
2018vs Right .707 166 20 1 16 0 .285 .349 .358
2017vs Left 1.000 13 4 1 2 0 .385 .385 .615
2017vs Right .845 136 14 4 20 0 .277 .390 .455
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2017
 
 
+8%
OPS on Road
2019
 
 
+2%
OPS at Home
2018
 
 
+1%
OPS on Road
2017
 
 
+51%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2017Home .761 322 51 11 43 0 .271 .339 .423
Since 2017Away .824 330 39 11 42 0 .298 .370 .454
2019Home .841 166 28 11 26 0 .284 .331 .510
2019Away .822 149 21 5 18 0 .307 .362 .460
2018Home .670 91 16 0 11 0 .268 .341 .329
2018Away .674 97 7 1 8 0 .264 .340 .333
2017Home .669 65 7 0 6 0 .241 .354 .315
2017Away 1.008 84 11 5 16 0 .324 .417 .592
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Tommy La Stella compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
BB/K
0.71
 
BB Rate
6.3%
 
K Rate
8.9%
 
BABIP
.282
 
ISO
.192
 
AVG
.295
 
OBP
.346
 
SLG
.486
 
OPS
.832
 
wOBA
.365
 
Exit Velocity
88.2 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
43.2%
 
Barrels/PA
4.1%
 
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Angels Depth Chart
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Tommy La Stella
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30 days ago
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Spring Training Job Battles: Let the Games Begin
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41 days ago
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Erik Halterman takes a thorough look at the relevant job battles around baseball on the eve of the first full day of spring training games.
Rounding Third: Mixed LABR Draft Review
Rounding Third: Mixed LABR Draft Review
57 days ago
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Jeff Erickson breaks down his team for the LABR Mixed Draft, during which he was eighth in the draft order.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
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.
More Fantasy News
Dealing with stiff back
2BLos Angeles Angels
Back
March 4, 2020
The Angels scratched La Stella ahead of Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners with a stiff back, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Staying put at second base
2BLos Angeles Angels
February 16, 2020
Angels manager Joe Maddon has no plans to move La Stella to first base this season, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
ANALYSIS
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Gets over $3 million
2BLos Angeles Angels
January 10, 2020
La Stella agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the Angels on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Hitless in return
2BLos Angeles Angels
September 27, 2019
La Stella (lower leg) went 0-for-4 in Friday's 4-0 loss to the Astros.
ANALYSIS
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Back from IL
2BLos Angeles Angels
September 27, 2019
La Stella (lower leg) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list prior to Friday's game against the Astros. He'll serve as the designated hitter and bat second.
ANALYSIS
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