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Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz Becomes 1st Player in 100 Years to Achieve Wild Feat

Elly De La Cruz has 6 home runs and 10 stolen bases through 20 games this year, putting the Cincinnati Reds star in some exclusive company in baseball history.

Sam Connon

Apr 17, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates in the dugout.
Apr 17, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates in the dugout. / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
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The Cincinnati Reds pulled out a big win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, putting them over .500 through the first 20 games of the 2024 season.

One of the club's biggest contributors thus far has been rising star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who drew four walks and scored a run Saturday night. De La Cruz is now batting .290 with six home runs, 15 RBI, a 1.033 OPS and a 1.2 WAR, on top of leading the National League with 10 stolen bases.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, De La Cruz is now one of two MLB players since 1900 to record five home runs and 10 stolen bases in the first 20 games of a season. The last time someone achieved the feat was in 1922, when Ken Williams did so for the St. Louis Browns.

Williams went on to lead the American League in home runs, RBI and total bases that season.

De La Cruz was one of the top prospects in baseball entering 2023, and he took the league by storm when he reached the big leagues last summer. He finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .235 with 13 home runs, 44 RBI, 25 stolen bases, a .710 OPS and a 0.8 WAR in 98 appearances.

This year, De La Cruz has seemingly refined his top-tier power at the plate and speed on the basepaths. While it remains to be seen if he can be an MVP candidate and league-leader by the time October rolls around, Reds fans should certainly be encouraged by his hot start to the season.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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