Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati’s highly anticipated shortstop prospect, will finally make his MLB debut for the Cincinnati Reds. As the team’s number one ranked prospect and fourth overall by MLB Pipeline, the 21-year-old De La Cruz was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
De La Cruz, a switch-hitter, showcased his skills at Louisville this year, batting an impressive .297/.398/.633 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in just 38 games. His season got off to a delayed start due to a left hamstring strain suffered during his first big league camp in Spring Training, but he’s since made a remarkable comeback. His performance has been nothing short of extraordinary, consistently displaying his five-tool talent. In fact, he recorded the hardest-hit ball in all of professional baseball this year, with an exit velocity of 118.8 mph according to Statcast. In the same game, he hit three balls over 116 mph.
De La Cruz’s defensive abilities have also turned heads. In early May, while playing third base for Louisville, he unleashed a 99.2 mph throw to first base, setting a record for the hardest recorded throw in Triple-A or the Major Leagues at the time. Moreover, on June 2nd, he demonstrated his incredible speed by sprinting from home plate to third base in just 10.97 seconds, tying the fastest time tracked at the Major League level in 2023.
With the Reds, De La Cruz is expected to primarily play shortstop, although he will make his debut vs. Los Angeles this evening at 3rd base. His former Louisville teammate, Matt McLain, has been holding down the shortstop position for Cincinnati since his promotion on May 15th. When De La Cruz played shortstop in Louisville, McLain often shifted to second base. If the Reds follow a similar arrangement, they could potentially move second baseman Jonathan India to third base, as he has been practicing ground balls at that position in recent weeks.
More importantly, De La Cruz is pencilled in as the team’s number 4 hitter for his debut, which speaks volumes about the confidence the organization has in his abilities. It marks the first time a Reds player will bat cleanup in their debut since 1942.
The last time there was this much hype for a Reds position player prospect was when outfielder Jay Bruce arrived on May 27th, 2008. Bruce, also 21 at the time, was ranked as the number one overall prospect in baseball. He made an explosive entrance, hitting .577 with three home runs across his first seven Major League games.
De La Cruz’s debut will be must-see TV in Cincinnati as the young phenom’s arrival has generated immense excitement amongst the fanbase. Currently sitting 5.5 games back of the Pirates for 1st place in the NL Central, Cincinnati is hoping that De La Cruz’s bat and arm can help improve their 27-33 record.
With 102 games remaining, there’s still plenty of time for the highly touted prospect to make an impact with his new club.
Photo: Minda Haas Kuhlmann. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.