Tyler Stephenson Might Be Ideal Running Mate Alongside Elly De La Cruz

Stephenson may be joining Elly De La Cruz as a consistent threat in the Reds lineup

Aug 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) watches his solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds may have found their best hitting threat behind Elly De La Cruz.

Tyler Stephenson has had a break year. He is the Reds' second-best hitter according to FanGraphs WAR, and he has had a master stretch of games.

In the last 28 days Stephenson’s Batting average is .321, his on-base percentage is .400, and his slugging percentage is .607. He actually has more total bases (51) than De La Cruz does over that span.

Stephenson also has an OPS+ of 119, meaning he's 19% better than the league average hitter.

This isn’t luck, either. In 2022, Stephenson put up some gaudy numbers before getting injured. Those numbers were inflated by an unsustainable Batting Average on Balls in Play. This year, his BABIP is actually below league average, meaning he’s still getting slightly unlucky.

His quality of contact is also good, averaging 90.6 MPH on his exit velocity. What’s really good, though, is his ability to square up the baseball. He does that 34% of the time, good enough for the top-three percentile in MLB.

The Reds may have found a one-two punch they can build around with De La Cruz and Stephenson.

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