Thomas Frank La Stella (born January 31, 1989), nicknamed TL and 3 AM, is an American professional baseball infielder in the San Francisco Giants organization. He previously played for the Atlanta Braves,

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, Los Angeles Angels, and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. He played college baseball at

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

and Coastal Carolina University. La Stella was selected by the Braves in the eighth round of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

, and made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2014. He won the

2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...

as a member of the Cubs, and was an All-Star in 2019 with the Angels.

Life and career

Early life and amateur career (1989–2010)

Thomas Frank La Stella was born in Westwood, New Jersey, on January 31, 1989, to Jane and Phil La Stella. He and his two siblings grew up in nearby

Closter, New Jersey Closter (Westergaard, Barbara"Closter: Bergen" ''New Jersey: A Guide to the State'', p. 78. Rutgers University Press, 2006. . Accessed July 22, 2011. "Known locally as the "hub of the Northern Valley," Closter (pronounced with a long ''o'') was ...

. He is of Italian descent. La Stella attended Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey. He played baseball in high school, but quit after his junior year, citing

burnout Burnout or burn-out may refer to: Entertainment * ''Burnout'' (film), a 2017 Moroccan film * ''Burn Out'' (film), a 2017 French film * Burnout (ride), a Funfields amusement ride in Australia * ''Burnout'' (series), a racing game series created by ...

. He enrolled at

, where he played college baseball for the

St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 17 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University, in the U.S. state of New York. St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fenci ...

for one year, before he transferred to Coastal Carolina University to play for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. La Stella appeared in 125 games (all starts) for the Chanticleers in 2010-2011 and batted .388 with 28 home runs and 136 runs batted in (RBIs). He committed 12 errors in 509 chances for Coastal Carolina, resulting in a .976

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. In 2010, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

for the Bourne Braves.

Atlanta Braves (2011–2014)

The Atlanta Braves selected La Stella in the eighth round of the

. He signed with the Braves for $105,000 and spent the rest of the 2011 season with the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League. He batted .328/.401/.543 in 232 at bats. He was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. In 2012, he played for the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League, for whom he batted .302/.386/.460 in 298 at bats. He was named a Carolina League mid-season All-Star. He was also named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. In 2013, he played for the Mississippi Braves of the Class AA Southern League. With the Mississippi Braves, La Stella batted .343/.422/.473 in 283 at bats over 81 games. He was named a Topps Double A All-Star. He was also named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. Playing in the AFL, he was named AFL All-Prospect Team. Tommy La Stella on July 6, 2014

The Braves invited La Stella to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 2014. He began the 2014 season with the

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

of the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, and debuted at the major league level on May 28, hitting two singles in his first game. La Stella hit his first major league home run on August 8, 2014, against Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. He finished the year with a .251 batting average in 93 games.

Chicago Cubs (2014–2018)

On November 16, 2014, the Braves traded La Stella, along with an international signing bonus slot, to the

for

Arodys Vizcaíno Arodys Vizcaíno (born November 13, 1990) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. Originally signed by the New York Yankees as ...

and three international signing bonus slots. La Stella made the Cubs'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster, but only played in two games before straining his right oblique on April 10, 2015. While rehabilitating at the minor league level with the Tennessee Smokies, La Stella suffered another oblique strain. He came off the disabled list in August, and was sent to the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

of the Class AAA

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. On August 24, he was recalled from Iowa and rejoined the major league club. In limited time with Chicago, La Stella was used mainly as a pinch hitter, a role in which he excelled. To increase his versatility, La Stella began playing third base during the regular season. In 33 games, La Stella hit .269/.324/.403, and started at third base during the

National League Wild Card Game The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was first instituted in 2012; best-of-three ...

against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. After batting .295 for the Cubs in 2016, the Cubs optioned La Stella to Iowa on July 29, but he did not immediately report. The Cubs put La Stella on the temporarily inactive list. He agreed to report to Tennessee on August 17. Upon being recalled on August 31, La Stella stated that his refusal to report to the minors stemmed mainly from a lack of enjoyment for the game at the time of his demotion. In 74 games of the 2016 season, La Stella finished by batting .270/.357/.405 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. The Cubs won the

. La Stella had one at bat during the 2016 postseason. La Stella was on the roster for the

2016 National League Division Series The 2016 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2016 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one-ga ...

, but was replaced by left-handed pitcher

Rob Zastryzny Robert John Zastryzny ( born March 26, 1992) is a Canadian-American professional baseball pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Los Angeles Ange ...

for the

2016 National League Championship Series The 2016 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in which the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. ...

. Kyle Schwarber was given the final spot on the roster for the

. In 2017, La Stella appeared in 73 games for the Cubs. He finished the year batting .288/.389/.472 with 22 RBIs and a career high of five home runs. On July 20, 2018, La Stella pitched an inning and a third as a relief pitcher during a lopsided victory by the St. Louis Cardinals. On August 31, his 21st pinch-hit of the season, a single in the seventh inning in a game against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, broke the Cub record for pinch hits in a season previously shared by Thad Bosley and Dave Clark. The previous evening, La Stella had tied the record with a 2 run go-ahead home run against the Atlanta Braves. For the 2018 season, he batted .266/.340/.331 with one home run and 19 RBIs in 169 at bats.

Los Angeles Angels (2019–2020)

On November 29, 2018, the Cubs traded La Stella to the Los Angeles Angels for future considerations. With 43 games played into the Angels' 2019 season, La Stella was their regular second baseman and leadoff man with a slash line of .301/.388/.611. He was among the league leaders with 11 home runs and 25 RBIs. La Stella was chosen to appear in the 2019 All-Star Game, but on July 2 he fractured his tibia on a

foul ball In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that: * Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or * Bounces and then goes past first or third base on or over foul territory, or * Has its first bounce occu ...

. Before the injury, La Stella had been one of the Angel's most productive players. He had a .300 batting average with 16 homers and 44 RBIs in 78 games. La Stella did not return until late September, playing in two of the Angels' final three games.

Oakland Athletics (2020)

On August 28, 2020, the Angels traded La Stella to the

for

Franklin Barreto Franklin Jose Barreto Rojas (born February 27, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman in the Washington Nationals organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Lo ...

. In 2020 between the two teams, he batted .281/.370/.449 with five home runs and 25 RBIs, and was by a wide margin the toughest AL ballplayer to strike out, averaging 16.3 at bats per strikeout. His strikeouts percentage and whiff percentage were both in the lowest 1% in major league baseball, and on defense his arm strength (73.1 mph) was in the lowest 3%. He also led all AL second basemen in errors, with four.

San Francisco Giants (2021–present)

On February 4, 2021, La Stella signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the San Francisco Giants; his salary for 2021 is $2 million. On May 18, he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a hamstring strain. In the 2021 regular season, he batted .250/.308/.405 with 26 runs, 7 home runs, and 20 RBIs in 220 at bats. He played primarily second base, with five games at third base. His arm strength (72.4 mph) was in the weakest 2% in major league baseball. La Stella had offseason left Achilles surgery in late October, and was expected to recover in four months, in the middle of 2022 spring training. On May 16, 2022, La Stella was activated off the injured list and made his season debut against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. In 2022 he batted .239/.282/.350 in 180 at bats, with two home runs and 14 RBIs. His sprint speed of 24.9 feet per second, the same as the prior year, was in the slowest 10% in baseball. He played 43 games at DH, 13 as a pinch hitter, six at third base, and three each at first base and second base. He was designated for assignment on December 28, 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Stella, Tommy 1989 births Living people American League All-Stars American sportspeople of Italian descent Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from New Jersey Bourne Braves players Chicago Cubs players Coastal Carolina Chanticleers baseball players Gulf Coast Braves players Iowa Cubs players Los Angeles Angels players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball second basemen Mississippi Braves players Oakland Athletics players People from Closter, New Jersey People from Westwood, New Jersey Rome Braves players Saint Joseph Regional High School alumni San Francisco Giants players Scottsdale Scorpions players Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey St. John's Red Storm baseball players Tennessee Smokies players