LOS ANGELES, CA — Occasionally, a player comes along who will stand out in a way that makes us say, WOW. The latest is Cincinnati Reds’ twenty-one-year-old rookie, Elly De La Cruz, Sabana Grande de Boya, Dominican Republic.
In Cincinnati’s 6-5 win over the Dodgers on Friday night, half of the eventual crowd of 48,280 were still parking their cars when Del La Cruz led off and smacked a 2-2 pitch down the right-field line that was a sure double. By the time Dodger gold glove right-fielder Mookie Betts looked up to throw to second, Cruz was past second on his way to third, where he slid in for a triple.
Elly De La Cruz cruises into third with a lead-off triple ./ Photo credit Emma Sharon Dodger Stadium 7/28/2023
He went from home to third in an astounding 10.83 seconds! I had him clocked at 4.08 to first base, which means he was gaining speed as he rounded the bases. To me, the triple is the most exciting play in baseball, and De La Cruz just took it to another level.
He holds down the left side of the infield, playing both third base and shortstop with the grace of the best who have fielded those positions, and has been clocked at 97.9 mph on an effortless throw to get an out at first. What we are witnessing here is the beginning of greatness.
EllyDe La Cruz and his electric smile. / Photo credit Emma Sharon Dodger Stadium 7/28/2023
He looks menacing on the diamond at six feet five inches and two hundred pounds. Yet his boyish big smile brings you back to the fact that he is just a twenty-one-year-old kid. In 2018 as a six-foot-tall sixteen-year-old, he signed with the Reds as an international free agent for just $65,000. Last year at MLB’s All-Star Futures game, I told him I know what you signed for, and you will be making a lot of money very soon. He looked down at me with that electric smile and said, “I Know.”
Yesterday Cincinnati announced that they had given manager David Bell a three-year contract extension through the 2026 season, a good move by the organization. If the Reds are wise, they should also lock down De La Cruz for the next ten years in 2023 dollars.
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