Fastball

Elly De La Cruz Powered His Way into History Books in First Half of Season

The Cincinnati Reds may have disappointed in the first half of the season, but superstar Elly De La Cruz certainly did not, as he joined some incredible baseball history with his performance.

Brady Farkas

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park on July 14.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park on July 14. / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

At 47-50 overall, the Cincinnati Reds may have disappointed in the first half of the season, but superstar Elly De La Cruz did not.

Based upon his debut season in 2023, we knew that De La Cruz was uber athletic and possessed great raw skills, but this year has seen him harness that talent more fully.

In fact, with his great season thus far, De La Cruz has put himself in some very impressive company in baseball history.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

Fewest games to reach both 30 home runs and 80 stolen bases from the start of an MLB career:
190- Eric Davis
194- Elly De La Cruz (Via a HR Sunday)
234- Trea Turner
260- Hanley Ramirez
276- Chris Sabo
280- Bobby Bonds
293- Juan Samuel
295- Adalberto Mondesi
298- Mike Trout

De La Cruz is hitting .256 this season with 17 homers and 43 RBI. He's also got 46 stolen bases, which is the most of any player in baseball right now. With an .830 OPS and a 128 OPS+, he's been one of the more productive players in the sport.

The scary part is that the 22-year-old still has room to grow. He's just been named to his first All-Star team but can find ways to cut down on his strikeouts (127 in 96 games) and improved his on-base percentage (.346).

The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas and then the Reds will be back in action on Friday night.

First pitch in that game is at 6:45 p.m. ET as they visit the Washington Nationals.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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