When rookie Tommy La Stella joined the Braves on May 28 and immediately started producing it was a big lift for a club with a huge need at second base after releasing veteran Dan Uggla.
La Stella started hot at the plate and stayed steady through the end of July. In 57 games with 55 starts during that span he hit .294 (60-for-204) with a .370 on-base percentage and a .363 slugging percentage.
But La Stella’s production has slid since then and fellow rookie Phil Gosselin has started to get more playing time at second base. In 32 games since Aug. 1 La Stella is hitting .181 (19-for-105) with a.265 on-base percentage and a .248 slugging percentage.
“Early on this guy was swinging the bat really, really well,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of La Stella. “The league, everyone has got advanced scouting, everybody has got smart pitching coaches, everybody has got video. Now, I think in the last 30 games or so, they are figuring him out.
“Now it’s his turn to figure out, ‘Hey, I need to make an adjustment and where I make the adjustment to get back to where I was.’”
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