Angels infielder Tommy La Stella is the poster boy for what’s going on in Major League Baseball this season.
Balls are soaring into the stands at a historic rate this season. In May, the league set the record for most home runs in a calendar month with 1,135, which was 16 more than the previous record from Aug. 2017.
La Stella can’t explain why balls are getting slammed harder and farther than past seasons.
“Guys have made some comments about the balls and obviously it’s hard to argue against it when you look at the numbers,” La Stella said Monday before the Cubs’ make-up game against the Angels at Wrigley Field. “But I know the guys are throwing harder and hitters are adjusting to hitting higher velocity, and obviously the ball is going to go further when you make contact with it.”
Mike Trout, a six-time Silver Slugger award winner, also offered little explanation for the recent surge in home runs across the league.
“Pitchers are going to say the ball is juiced and hitters are going to say they’re throwing the ball at 100 so it’s coming in a lot harder,” Trout said. “That’s the way I look at it.”
Before this season, La Stella had only 10 career home runs over five season. Five of those homers came in 2017.
This season has been a totally different story. Through 55 games, La Stella already has 12.
“His power is unbelievable so far,” said Trout, who finally surpassed La Stella in homers last Friday. “It’s fun to watch and hopefully he keeps it going”
La Stella attributed his drastic increase in home runs to making minor adjustments to his set-up and swing. The former Cubs pinch hitter also said it helps to get more consistent at-bats.
“It was a combination of things,” La Stella said. “But just being able to get out there and get more repetition.
“With more opportunity comes the ability to take some shots every so often not that I’m looking to do that at every at-bat.”
Though La Stella’s numbers are impressive for his standards, he still has little shot at getting invited to participate in the home run derby — not that it had crossed his mind.
On the off chance he was asked to partake, La Stella said he probably wouldn’t.
“I don’t want to go out there and embarrass myself,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll leave it to the big sluggers.”
