“He (Tommy LaStella) got a couple of hits, putting the ball in play. You couldn’t ask for anything more out of him. He’s a guy that’s going to split the gaps, get on base. He’s got great plate discipline. It’s good to be able to have that in your lineup.” – Atlanta Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez on MLB.com (Steven Petrella, 05/29/2014, ‘Making big league debut, LaStella notches two hits’, Source)

Born in Westwood, NJ, Tommy La Stella is a baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. LaStella was selected by the Braves in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2014. He won the 2016 World Series as a member of the Cubs, and was an All-Star in 2019 with the Angels.

He was back in the starting line-up when the 2020 season finally started in late July, and over his first 28 games hit .273 with 4 homers and 14 RBIs. These numbers looked superficially unremarkable, but his OPS+ of 130 was even better than that of his All-Star season and in fact the highest of his career.

With the Angels mired in the bottom of the standings, he was one of the first players to change teams before the trading deadline, moved to August 31st for that season only, and he was sent to division rivals the Oakland Athletics on August 28th, in return for IF Franklin Barreto. Lastella had been a hustler and a utility player – albeit an everyday one – with the Angels, and he claimed a full-time starting job at second base for the A’s.

In the 2021 regular season, playing for the Division winning SF Giants, LaStella batted .250/.308/.405 with 26 runs, 7 home runs, and 20 RBIs in 220 at bats. He played primarily second base, with five games at third base.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)