Tommy La Stella

Born in Westwood, New Jersey, to Phil and Jane La Stella on January 31, 1989, La Stella and his two siblings grew up in nearby Closter. He is of Italian descent. La Stella attended Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey. He played college baseball for both the St. John\'s Red Storm and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. La Stella appeared in 125 games (all starts) for the Chanticleers in 2010/2011 and hit .388 with 28 home runs and 136 RBI. He committed only 12 errors in 509 chances for Coastal Carolina, resulting in a .976 fielding percentage.\n', ' The Braves selected La Stella in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, and he spent the rest of the season with the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 2012, he played for the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. In 2013, he played for the Mississippi Braves of the Class AA Southern League. With the Mississippi Braves, La Stella had a .343 batting average in 81 games.\n', ' The Braves invited La Stella to spring training in 2014. He began the 2014 season with the Gwinnett Braves of the Class AAA International League, and debuted at the major league level on May 28, hitting two singles in his first game. La Stella hit his first major league home run on August 8, 2014, against Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. He finished the year with a .251 batting average in 93 games.\n', '