Tommy La Stella, Second Base, Seattle Mariners
Date of Birth: 1/31/1989
Birthplace: Westwood, New Jersey
College: Coastal Carolina University
Tommy La Stella, second baseman for the Seattle Mariners, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2011. He played in the Braves' minor league system from 2011 through the beginning of 2014. In 288 games in the minor leagues, he batted .322 with 326 hits, 63 doubles, and 167 RBIs.
La Stella finished the 2014 season with 80 hits, 16 doubles, 40 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a .251 batting average in 93 games. As a second baseman, he made 216 assists, 146 putouts, 54 double plays, and 6 errors.
On November 17, 2014, La Stella was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He spent most of April through August, 2015, on the DL with oblique strains. he played in just 33 games with the Cubs. In the postseason, he had no hits in 10 at-bats in 6 games.
La Stella played in 74 games with the Cubs in 2016. He finished the season with 40 hits and a .270 batting average. Defensively, he played 9 games at second base and 33 games at third base. In the postseason, he had no hits in 1 at-bat in 1 game.
La Stella batted .288 in 73 games with the Cubs in 2017. Defensively, he played 1 game at first base, 21 games at second base, and 18 games at third base. In the postseason, he had no hits in 2 at-bats in 4 games.
In 2018, La Stella batted .266 with 45 hits in 123 games. Defensively, he played 15 games at second base and 26 games at third base. He also pitched in one game.
The Cubs traded La Stella to the Los Angeles Angels on November 29, 2018. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with a right tibia fracture. He finished the season with 86 hits and a .295 batting average in 80 games. Defensively, he played 3 games at first base, 46 games at second base, and 30 games at third base.
The Angels traded La Stella to the Oakland Athletics on August 29, 2020. He finished the 2020 season with a .289 batting average, 28 hits, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 11 RBIs in 28 games with the Angels and 27 games with the Athletics. Defensively, he played 10 games at first base, 33 games at second base, 6 and 6 games at third base. He had a good postseason, batting .296 with 8 hits, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs in 27 at-bats in 7 games.
La Stella became a free agent on October 28, 2020. He signed with the San Francisco Giants on February 4, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with a hamstring strain. He finished the season with 55 hits and a .250 batting average in 76 games. In the postseason, he had 3 hits in 9 at-bats in 5 games.
The Giants released La Stella on January 5, 2023. He signed with the Mariners on January 19th.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Tommy La Stella
ESPN - Tommy La Stella
Baseball Reference - Tommy La Stella