Tommy La Stella

Early life and career

Born in Westwood, New Jersey to Phil and Jane La Stella on January 31, 1989, Tommy and his two siblings grew up in nearby Closter. La Stella attended Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, St. John's University and Coastal Carolina University. He played college baseball for both the St. John's Red Storm and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. La Stella appeared in 125 games (all starts) for the Chanticleers in 2010/2011 and hit .388 with 28 home runs and 136 RBI. He committed only 12 errors in 509 chances for Coastal Carolina, resulting in a .976 fielding percentage.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves selected La Stella in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he spent the rest of the season with the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 2012, he played for the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. In 2013, he played for the Mississippi Braves of the Class AA Southern League. With the Mississippi Braves, La Stella had a .343 batting average in 81 games.

The Braves invited La Stella to spring training in 2014. He began the 2014 season with the Gwinnett Braves of the Class AAA International League, 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

On November 16, 2014, the Braves traded La Stella, along with an international signing bonus slot, to the Chicago Cubs for Arodys Vizcaíno and three international signing bonus slots. La Stella made the Cubs' Opening Day 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 of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. 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, and started at third base during the National League Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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 2016, La Stella finished by batting .270 with two home runs and 11 RBI. The Cubs would eventually win the World Series, effectively ending their 108-year long drought. La Stella had one at bat in the postseason and won his first world championship. La Stella was on the roster for the 2016 National League Division Series, but was replaced by left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny for the 2016 National League Championship Series. Kyle Schwarber was given the final spot on the roster for the 2016 World Series.