It’s strange, isn’t it? After last season, one would imagine that any discussion of Tommy La Stella in late August would likely feature details of his parting of the ways with the Chicago Cubs. Yet, here we are at that point on the calendar and instead, it’s quite the opposite. In fact, Tommy La Stella, in […]
Tag: Tommy La Stella
The 25th Man: La Stella Or Szczur
With less than a week to go until the Cubs open up the 2017 season in St. Louis, the vast majority of the Opening Day 25-man roster has been pretty clearly solidified with just a few final exceptions. The most notable of those is the battle for the final bench spot. With Joe Maddon’s known […]
Cactus Catchup: Schwarber, Cuts, and a Starting Rotation
Putting in Work Kyle Schwarber flashed some versatility at the plate on Wednesday. He led off the game with a bunt single and hit a two-run shot later in the game. While it remains to be seen how often we should expect to see the former from Schwarber throughout the season, it just goes to […]
“Sugar,” Tommy La Stella, and Anticlimax
People are feeling all kinds of things about Tommy La Stella—anger, contempt, sympathy—but the writers so far who have best approximated my own feelings are the ones who get at how murky and elusive the story is. Here at Wrigleyville, Ken Schultz rejected the simple narrative—spoiled young player needs to toughen up and do what he’s told—and […]
Tommy La Stella: The Other Way Around The Whole Time
On the surface, the recent Tommy La Stella drama sounds like a deal with the Devil, if the Devil was a terrible negotiator. BEELZEBUB: Hey Tommy, want to be a big league ballplayer? Your salary will be 525 thousand dollars! And you’ll be on TV every day! LA STELLA: Sweet! Where do I sign up? […]
In Surging La Stella, Maddon Has a Muse
They say the happiest people get the best out of everything. In my experience in life, I think this is pretty true. Positivity breeds positivity, and that pretty well describes Cubs manager Joe Maddon. The guy is a walking positive slogan, and I mean that in the best way possible—good vibes surround the man. Of […]
Dexter Fowler’s Impact on the Race for the Roster
One short month ago, I wrote about the Cubs’ cramped roster situation, and laid out the various scenarios that might unfold before we get to a final Opening Day roster. The front office had already had an incredible offseason, bringing in top-level talent at three different positions via free agency, and adding an intriguing arm in […]
Chaos in the Outfield Brings Relative Clarity to Cubs’ Infield Situation
The Cubs’ unexpected trade of Chris Coghlan and re-signing of Dexter Fowler blew up expectations for the outfield. They are now (happily) muddled, and I (happily) left that hard stuff for Matthew Trueblood to sort out. On the infield side, though, these moves actually serve to clarify the Cubs’ roster. Several players whose roles were unclear […]
Cubs Player Profile: Tommy La Stella
Position: 2B/3B 2015 Stats: 33 G, 75 PA, .269/.324/.403, .269 TAv, 0.2 WARP 2015 in Review: Acquired last winter from the Braves as middle-infield depth with a shot to compete for the starting second base job, Tommy La Stella quickly found himself ensconced in the team’s 60-day disabled list due to a strained oblique. Jonathan […]