Chicago Cubs: Maddon needs to ride La Stella’s hot streak
After his odd refusal to report to Triple-A in 2016, Tommy La Stella has proven he is a secret weapon of sorts for the Chicago Cubs.
It is the time of the year when the Chicago Cubs need to put their best nine players on the field each and every day. Tommy La Stella needs more playing time. The most logical place for him to play would be second base, leaving Ben Zobrist on the bench or in right field. With Jason Heyward underperforming for a second consecutive season, Zobrist may have more chances to play right field.
It may become harder to find playing time for La Stella once Addison Russell returns from the DL, but for the time being, La Stella needs to start.
La Stella’s slash line is very impressive for his limited at-bats and playing time. He is carrying a .322/.417/.567 and a 153 OPS+ this season, according to FanGraphs. His 154 wRC+ is way above league average.
He is worth .8 bWAR in 2017 while Zobrist is only worth .5 WAR. Zobrist is also hitting .229/.317/.374 with an 80 OPS+ and 82 wRC+ this season, which is not going to cut it. Whether it be turning a year older or nagging injury, Zobrist has been bad this year.
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Zobrist’s calm demeanor and veteran leadership cannot be understated, but that only means so much when he is hitting the way he is.
As Joe Maddon, has shown in the past, he will find playing time for everyone. Zobrist can still get starts at second base and in the corner outfield spots, but he needs to starting hitting.
In 16 games in August, La Stella is hitting .364/.421/.667. I would say that is worthy of getting some extended playing time. La Stella constantly puts together good at-bats and barrels up the ball when he makes contact. His 12.8% walk rate and 10.1% strikeout rate is also very impressive. As of now, he is best suited to hit in the fifth spot behind Anthony Rizzo.
La Stella is a negative defender, but at this point, Ben Zobrist is not much better. La Stella’s hot streak overshadows his poor defensive range and arm strength. I would not be surprised to see La Stella get starts at third base when Addison Russell recovers from his injury.
That allows Maddon to plug Kris Bryant in one of the corner outfield spots depending on match ups. If Heyward and Zobrist do not start hitting consistently, Bryant may steal their playing time in the outfield.
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Simply put, Tommy La Stella can play an important role down the home stretch of this season. And who knows, he may play his way onto the post season roster for the Chicago Cubs. He is a quality bat off the bench and teams can never have too many of them come playoff time.