Tommy La Stella file
- Second base, Gwinnett Braves
- Eighth-round pick in the June 2011 free-agent draft from Coastal Carolina.
- Posted a .324 career average in the minor leagues.
- Named Best Hitter for Average and Best Strike-Zone Discipline in Braves' system by Baseball America.
With Dan Uggla’s early season slump extending into May, the buzz is building around Gwinnett Braves prospect Tommy La Stella as a potential solution.
La Stella is viewed as a long-term option at second base for the Atlanta Braves and a potential short-term spark for the parent club’s struggling offense. Heading into Friday’s series opener against the Cubs, Uggla was in a 3-for-34 slide and was hitting .184. Through 33 games, the Braves were 29th in runs scored.
Braves general manager Frank Wren is considering options and is pleased with how La Stella has performed since drafting him from Coastal Carolina in 2011. But Wren cautions that there is no timetable on a potential promotion.
“Tommy has put himself in position and performed well in the organization,” said Wren. “But there are a number of things that he needs to work on.”
La Stella is hitting .300 through 32 games in his first season at Gwinnett. He has hit at every level during his four-year rise through the Braves’ organization, including .343 last season at Double-A Mississippi. An eighth-round pick in the 2011 free agent draft, he owns a .327 average and .908 OPS in the minors. According to Baseball America, La Stella began this season as the No. 9 prospect in the Braves’ organization.
It wasn’t always a smooth path, though. La Stella has been bothered by injuries at times. While playing for Lynchburg, he fractured the fibula in his right leg in a collision at first base, but never went into a cast and returned after five weeks. Elbow soreness and a strained hamstring limited him to 81 games last season in Mississippi. Battling through those injuries gave La Stella some perspective on his career. It made him realize how limited baseball’s window of opportunity really is. That’s why he wants nothing to do with the talk of his potential call-up.
La Stella, 25, does admit to hearing the talk that his chance with Atlanta may be approaching. But he believes thinking about what’s next could mess with his head.
“Obviously, I’m excited that I’m in Triple-A and essentially one call away,” La Stella said. “But in terms of the rumors that fly around, that’s stuff that I try to remove myself from. It’s so far out of my control. You can really work yourself into a bad spot, if you start worrying about the decision-making. I’ll just stay focused on what I need to do here in Gwinnett.”
Until the Atlanta Braves’ offense snaps to life, La Stella will be continued to be look at as a possible solution. In the meantime, he promises to keep his phone fully charged.
“That won’t be an issue,” he said with a chuckle.
