Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz on Pace For Some Incredible Baseball History in 2024

Elly De La Cruz could become just the second shortstop ever to steal 81 bases in a season.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) reacts after hitting a double in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on Aug 12. / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Entering play on Sunday, Cincinnati Reds' infielder Elly De La Cruz is on pace for some electric baseball history with regards to stolen bases.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Sunday:

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is one stolen base shy of becoming only the seventh shortstop in history to steal 60 bases. He’s on pace for 81 stolen bases, accomplished only by Maury Wills among shortstops. 

One of the most exciting players in the sport, it's incredible that De La Cruz is on pace to steal more than 80 bases. You pair his speed with his arm strength and raw power at the plate and De La Cruz is one of the "toolsiest" players that we have in all of baseball.

Obviously, the rule changes of the last few years have made it easier to steal bases, but De La Cruz is still able to take advantage of the rules in a way that most other players aren't. At the time of this posting, he's hitting .260 for the year with 21 homers and 52 RBI as well. He's got an .828 OPS and has helped be the catalyst of the Reds lineup.

Cincinnati will be back in action on Monday night when they travel to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. That could be an interesting night as Nightengale also speculates that maybe the Blue Jays will activate Joey Votto from the injured list in time to make his season debut against his old team.

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