Cincinnati Reds Prospect Accomplishes Baseball History on Tuesday
The Cincinnati Reds aren't particularly good right now at the major league level (15-20 entering play on Wednesday), but their is excitement within the organization.
The team has young, major league contributors like Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, and also features several good prospects in the minor leagues, most notably Elly De La Cruz.
De La Cruz is currently the top prospect in the Reds organization and the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball. The 21-year-old, switch-hitting infielder accomplished something on Tuesday night at Triple-A as an individual, that's never been done by a major league team.
The Reds tweeted the accomplishment:
"WHOA, ELLY! Elly De La Cruz had THREE hits over 116 mph last night for the @LouisvilleBats. No major league TEAM has ever had three in a game.
118.8 mph RBI 2B righty
456 foot, 116.6 mph HR lefty
428 foot, 117.1 mph HR righty
@ellylacocoa18 ╳ @RedsOnTheRise"
The youth movement is coming for Cincinnati, and De La Cruz is the next big part of it.
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.
The Reds take on the Mets on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
