LaStella called up to the Atlanta

nsacpi

nsacpi

Expects Yuge Games
His time is coming. Generally, the process the Braves have had in place with respect to second base has been a sensible one and what I expected. There was a logical sequencing. First, they gave Uggla spring training and a month and a half of the regular season to show improvement. Next, they have kicked the tires on Pastornicky and Pena. It made sense to look at the guys already on the 40-man roster. Plus La Stella was not driving the ball in AAA for extra base hits the way he had at lower levels.

But the other options have not worked out and we have seen some extra base power from La Stella in recent weeks. He has six extra base hits so far in May after just two in April. He has 16 walks against 8 strikeouts in May. His OBP in May is .398. I think he will be called up by mid-June.

I also want to discuss our other second baseman in AAA, Phil Gosselin. He has been opening some eyes with a .335 batting average. He also is an above average defender at second, something that La Stella is not. It is great that Gosselin is presenting us with a second option, but I think there is a clear case for bringing up La Stella first.

One big difference between the two are their strikeout and walk rates. So far this season, Gosselin has 6 walks and 30 strikeouts. As a result of the difference in walk rates, La Stella has the edge in OBP (.384 versus .356) even though Gosselin has a big edge in batting average. Secondly, Gosselin currently sports a BABIP of .403. Clearly, he has hit in some good luck. La Stella's BABIP is a more sustainable .312, indicating less risk of regression from his current numbers.

I don't mean to completely discount Gosselin's numbers. He has 13 doubles and 2 triples, indicating that he is hitting the ball well and that his high BABIP is not completely a product of luck. And his edge in defense should not be dismissed. But looking at their overall performance this year (and giving some weight to their track record in past years), it is seems to me that La Stella is the better bet for taking over second. I wouldn't be opposed to both being called up and some sort of platoon being put in place. But La Stella should get most of the at bats and he would in a platoon given he is the lefty.

One more comment while on the subject of possible promotions at second base. When La Stella gets called up, I'd like to see a domino effect where Elmer Reyes is pushed up to AAA and Peraza to AA. Those two have done very well so far this year and we shouldn't discount the possibility that one of them could help the big league team fairly soon.
 
I think it really is getting to be LS time. Also, I said it a while back that we might have better bench players in AAA than in MLB.
 
nsacpi said:
His time is coming. Generally, the process the Braves have had in place with respect to second base has been a sensible one and what I expected. There was a logical sequencing. First, they gave Uggla spring training and a month and a half of the regular season to show improvement. Next, they have kicked the tires on Pastornicky and Pena. It made sense to look at the guys already on the 40-man roster. Plus La Stella was not driving the ball in AAA for extra base hits the way he had at lower levels.

But the other options have not worked out and we have seen some extra base power from La Stella in recent weeks. He has six extra base hits so far in May after just two in April. He has 16 walks against 8 strikeouts in May. His OBP in May is .398. I think he will be called up by mid-June.

I also want to discuss our other second baseman in AAA, Phil Gosselin. He has been opening some eyes with a .335 batting average. He also is an above average defender at second, something that La Stella is not. It is great that Gosselin is presenting us with a second option, but I think there is a clear case for bringing up La Stella first.

One big difference between the two are their strikeout and walk rates. So far this season, Gosselin has 6 walks and 30 strikeouts. As a result of the difference in walk rates, La Stella has the edge in OBP (.384 versus .356) even though Gosselin has a big edge in batting average. Secondly, Gosselin currently sports a BABIP of .403. Clearly, he has hit in some good luck. La Stella's BABIP is a more sustainable .312, indicating less risk of regression from his current numbers.

I don't mean to completely discount Gosselin's numbers. He has 13 doubles and 2 triples, indicating that he is hitting the ball well and that his high BABIP is not completely a product of luck. And his edge in defense should not be dismissed. But looking at their overall performance this year (and giving some weight to their track record in past years), it is seems to me that La Stella is the better bet for taking over second. I wouldn't be opposed to both being called up and some sort of platoon being put in place. But La Stella should get most of the at bats and he would in a platoon given he is the lefty.

One more comment while on the subject of possible promotions at second base. When La Stella gets called up, I'll like to see a domino effect where Elmer Reyes is pushed up to AAA and Peraza to AA. Those two have done very well so far this year and we shouldn't discount the possibility that one of them could help the big league team fairly soon.
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The synic in me thinks the Braves are not as high on La Stella as the fans and the numbers guys are. I can't help but think that they just don't feel like he will play in the majors because he doesn't have pop and lacks great speed. The Braves seem to want guys that can either hit the ball with power, or can run all day long with speed. It seems like they are willing to trade a few strike outs for more pop in the line up. This is why it would not surprise me to see Phil Gosselin actually get the next shot and not La Stella, particularly since Gosselin has some MLB time already.
 
KB21 said:
The synic in me thinks the Braves are not as high on La Stella as the fans and the numbers guys are. I can't help but think that they just don't feel like he will play in the majors because he doesn't have pop and lacks great speed. The Braves seem to want guys that can either hit the ball with power, or can run all day long with speed. It seems like they are willing to trade a few strike outs for more pop in the line up. This is why it would not surprise me to see Phil Gosselin actually get the next shot and not La Stella, particularly since Gosselin has some MLB time already.
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The problem with La Stella is he really only has 1 baseball skill. And while it appears to be very good, its still only one skill. And MLB has a way of crushing high average guys from the minors.
 
KB21 said:
The synic in me thinks the Braves are not as high on La Stella as the fans and the numbers guys are. I can't help but think that they just don't feel like he will play in the majors because he doesn't have pop and lacks great speed. The Braves seem to want guys that can either hit the ball with power, or can run all day long with speed. It seems like they are willing to trade a few strike outs for more pop in the line up. This is why it would not surprise me to see Phil Gosselin actually get the next shot and not La Stella, particularly since Gosselin has some MLB time already.
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Not sure about your hypothesis that power or speed trumps all else when it comes to the choices the Braves make. They chose CJ over Juan Francisco. They are playing a couple guys at second right now that don't have great power or speed for the position. La Stella's OBP is actually a nice complement to what we have in the rest of the lineup.
 
gilesfan said:
The problem with La Stella is he really only has 1 baseball skill. And while it appears to be very good, its still only one skill. And MLB has a way of crushing high average guys from the minors.
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Ideally, all our players can hit, play defense and run. But there aint that many of those guys lying around. So you go with a Gattis, even though he is "one-dimensional." In different ways, you could say Simmons and CJ are "one-dimensional." It would appear that one-dimensionality is not a bar to being in the lineup.
 
I have a hard time thinking Pastonicky has had his chance. Got a few games, looked good, hurt his calf, and has not had consecutive starts since. Didn't I hear that he hit about 330 as a starter in his few consecutive starts. Had a couple of defensive hiccups, but is basically solid. I think regular time with Simmons and Freeman would smooth that out. Not alarming at all.

He has been on base a lot... Isn't that what we all think we need there?
 
gilesfan said:
The problem with La Stella is he really only has 1 baseball skill. And while it appears to be very good, its still only one skill. And MLB has a way of crushing high average guys from the minors.
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Thanks for differentiating "skill" v. "tool." I think it's time for La Stella (or anyone else in the system) because 2B is a black hole. La Stella has one plus (probably plus-plus) tool and that is hitting for average. Add to that the skill of ball/strike recognition and he's got a shot.

As per KB21's point, I think the Braves are all over the board on how they put the team together and it's a real patchwork, as nsacpi points out. It's a very odd mix.

I think Gosselin's a utility guy at best, but I wouldn't be averse to him getting a shot at 2B as well (at least in the short term).
 
mfree80 said:
I have a hard time thinking Pastonicky has had his chance. Got a few games, looked good, hurt his calf, and has not had consecutive starts since. Didn't I hear that he hit about 330 as a starter in his few consecutive starts. Had a couple of defensive hiccups, but is basically solid. I think regular time with Simmons and Freeman would smooth that out. Not alarming at all.

He has been on base a lot... Isn't that what we all think we need there?
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Yes and Yes. I'm fine with LaStella if they want to bring him, but I still don't understand why Pastor isn't getting consistent time. Most people here seem to think he's not very good, but I love his offense. It's his defense I worry about. Let him get consistent at-bats for a week. If it doesn't work, it just doesn't.
 
mfree80 said:
I have a hard time thinking Pastonicky has had his chance. Got a few games, looked good, hurt his calf, and has not had consecutive starts since. Didn't I hear that he hit about 330 as a starter in his few consecutive starts. Had a couple of defensive hiccups, but is basically solid. I think regular time with Simmons and Freeman would smooth that out. Not alarming at all.

He has been on base a lot... Isn't that what we all think we need there?
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I'm ok with giving him another week or two as our regular second baseman. Just not impressed by his last couple games, both on defense and at the plate. Maybe his calf is still bothering him.
 
This whole 2B quandry could have been avoided had we signed one of the hot hitting Cubanos this offseason. We had a few chances and not all of them went for big $. I was really thinking we would have taken a stab at one of them.
 
we've got 3 2b with worst batting averages than BJ Upton (the new Mendoza Line) gotta do something. Let LaStella make his debut in Miami, the atmosphere will remind him of the minors.
 
nsacpi said:
Not sure about your hypothesis that power or speed trumps all else when it comes to the choices the Braves make. They chose CJ over Juan Francisco. They are playing a couple guys at second right now that don't have great power or speed for the position. La Stella's OBP is actually a nice complement to what we have in the rest of the lineup.
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I think the Braves see CJ as a guy who is essentially a temp right now at the position, even though they signed him to an extension. I look at how they have pushed Edward Salcedo despite the fact that he has poor defense and a horrible contact rate, and I can't help but think it is because they seem him as a guy who has potential power.
 
stpeteirish said:
we've got 3 2b with worst batting averages than BJ Upton (the new Mendoza Line) gotta do something. Let LaStella make his debut in Miami, the atmosphere will remind him of the minors.
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BJ's been ripping the ball recently, and his BA does not show it.
 
gilesfan said:
The weekly BJ is back topic!
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If you watch the Braves instead of the Nats, you can't deny he's been hitting the ball hard of late. I also don't know if anyone said "he's back," but as a whole he looks a lot better than last year, and that's something. Trolls typically make up things that no body ever said, case in point with your post.
 
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