ATLANTA — National broadcasters may have mispronounced his name over the weekend, but that won’t happen much longer for Braves second baseman Tommy La Stella if he continues to produce like he has during his first month in the major leagues.
La Stella — pronounced phonetically as it appears and not like la-steya — has solved much of the team’s offensive problems at the position. In his first 17 games since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, La Stella has 24 hits in 62 at-bats; incumbent Dan Uggla had 20 hits in 39 games and 121 at-bats before La Stella won the job.
“He’s got a good idea of the strike zone,” said Hall of Famer Don Sutton, now an Atlanta broadcaster. “You know he’s going to give you a quality at-bat. He’s wise beyond his experience.”
La Stella, a left-handed batter, is also showing he can hit against left-handed pitching. On Monday against Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels, he hit a rocket that was speared by second baseman Chase Utley and turned into a double play. But on the next at-bat, he went the other way with a pitch and lined it into left for a single.
La Stella is coming off a 6-for-11 series against the Los Angeles Angels, which included the first three-hit game of his career. He has a seven-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 14 of his 17 games.
La Stella ranks fourth among National League rookies with 24 hits, despite being the only player with fewer than 125 at-bats and more that 21 hits. He has 24 hits in 62 at-bats, an average of 2.58 at-bats per hit.
He makes contact, too. La Stella has struck out only six times.
Fantasy Update: La Stella is a natural hitter and should be added in all leagues if you need a second baseman. He keeps moving up in the Braves struggling batting order and could be a major acquisition for your team down the stretch.