Atlanta Braves: The case against Tommy La Stella

Atlanta Braves second baseman Tommy La Stella (84) hits an RBI double during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Virtually the entire fan base for the Atlanta Braves is clamoring for prospect 2B Tommy La Stella to receive his first call-up to the Major Leagues in the wake of the continuing struggles of incumbent 2B Dan Uggla. To be honest, it is quite easy to see why many fans would love to see La Stella in an Atlanta uniform, and the reasons make some sense.

First, the 25-year-old (this is important, by the way) posted a .422 on-base percentage in double-A last season, and that metric has been a positive one again this season with a .382 OBP in triple-A Gwinnett. Secondly, his batting average (which matters to much of the fan base, even if flawed) was .343 in double-A last season and remains very solid at .298 over 144 plate appearances in Gwinnett. In addition, Dan Uggla has been a catastrophe once again this year, hitting .184/.248/.272 with his trademark defensive deficiencies.

Even with all of that on the table, however, there is still a firm case against Tommy La Stella as the team’s second baseman of the future (or the present).

While La Stella’s minor league numbers are still impressive from the (very important) standpoint of getting on base, that is basically where the strengths stop. For reference, “TLS” is slugging .331 this season. Yes, you read that correctly. It is admittedly a small sample, but the sweet-hitting second baseman has 32 singles, four doubles and zero home runs over 144 plate appearances, and he managed only four home runs over a half-season in double-A in 2013.

There is certainly an argument that La Stella can be successful as a doubles hitter (he piled up 21 doubles in 2013), but the home run power simply isn’t there, and that lowers his ceiling. In addition to that, he isn’t a strong runner ( 25 steals over nearly four seasons), which would hamstring him a bit if he is actually a singles hitter. More importantly, though, La Stella’s defense is a severe question mark. Defensive metrics are very shaky at the Minor League level, but all reports indicate that he is (at best) an average defender, and there is a faction that believes he will be below-average at the MLB level.

Lastly, there is the issue of age. As referenced earlier, Tommy La Stella is already 25 years old, which is certainly not ancient by any stretch, but it also would indicate that his ceiling isn’t much higher than his current production. In comparison, the much-maligned Tyler Pastornicky is nearly a year younger than La Stella, would likely be a better defender right away, and he is already on the active roster. Throw in the fact that Ramiro Pena is easily the best defender of the trio and has a solid track record of hitting against right-handed pitching, and a Pena/Pastornicky platoon comes into view.

To be clear, there is no vendetta against Tommy La Stella in this space, and in fact, there is a real likelihood that he would be better than Dan Uggla right now. However, a Pastornicky/Pena platoon would probably be better in total at this stage, and the collective of the Atlanta Braves fan base desperately needs to slow down on the “savior” capability of La Stella.