3 A.M.: A Profile Of Cubs Infielder Tommy La Stella

He got the nickname from the players after Joe Maddon was heard to say "He can get up at three a.m.., get out of bed, and hit."

Thomas F. La Stella is 27 years old. He was born January 31, 1989, in Westwood, New Jersey, the son of Jane and Phil La Stella. He is 5'11", weighs 185, and bats left-handed. He has a brother, Mike, and a sister Christine.

Tommy La Stella starred as a defensive infielder for St. Joseph Regional High in Montclar, N.J., for St. John's University, and for Coastal Carolina University before being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the eighth round in 2011. He played various levels in the minors before being called up to the big club in 2014 after having hit .343 in 81 games for the Mississippi Braves. He played 93 games for Atlanta, and was then traded to the Cubs for Arodys Vizcaino, who wasn't doing very well at the time.

Tommy spent most of 2015 on the disabled list with oblique strains but came back and played well in the playoffs. This year, he is on the major-league roster as a defensive specialist and pinch-hitter. He has a good eye at the plate and a contact bat, decent instincts and speed on the basepaths, and could start for some major-league teams. The Cubs have the luxury of having good players on their bench.