Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz Joining Very Elite Club in History in Major League Debut

By hitting cleanup in his major league debut, Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz is the youngest player to hit cleanup in a debut since 1976, when Andres Mora of the Baltimore Orioles did it.

Tuesday is the most exciting Cincinnati Reds game of the year, because it's the day that one of the most-hyped prospects in the game makes his major league debut.

Elly De La Cruz, the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball, was called up before the Reds took on the Dodgers.

One of the most tools-y athletes we've seen in baseball in recent memory, De La Cruz has elite speed, power, and a great throwing arm. The Reds have said they will use him at both third base and shortstop.

In his debut, De La Cruz is hitting cleanup, becoming the youngest player to hit cleanup in his debut in the last 37 years.

The full list of people to hit cleanup at a younger age in a major league debut was posted on social media:

Elly De La Cruz is 21 years, 146 days old. Here are all the players to debut batting cleanup at a younger age. You gotta go back 37 years for something like this. 

Elly De La Cruz is 21 years, 146 days old.

Here are all the players to debut batting cleanup at a younger age. You gotta go back 37 years for something like this. https://t.co/leEJtNlAgX pic.twitter.com/szy8Edagxd

— Kenny Jackelen (@kennyjackelen) June 6, 2023

He hit .297 at Triple-A Louisville this year with 12 homers, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases. The hope is that he doesn't need to go back.

Here's more on him from his MLB.com prospect profile:

There are few prospects more dynamic than De La Cruz, both in terms of his five-tool potential and the joy and passion he brings to his game. The switch-hitter’s plus bat speed has been amplified as he’s added strength, and he has legitimate plus power, especially from the left side of the plate. He can still be over-aggressive at times, striking out in more than 30 percent of his plate appearances in 2022, but he showed improved patience while more than holding his own in the Dominican Winter League against much older competition.

Because of his size, he’s drawn some comparisons to the Pirates’ Oneil Cruz, and like Cruz, De La Cruz is eager to show he can stick at shortstop. He has the actions and plus arm to stay there for sure while also having no problems playing third and saw time at second with Licey this past winter. Just 21 for the 2023 season, he’s the kind of player who should have no ceiling placed on him, with the chance to be a true five-tool All-Star sooner rather than later.

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