Elly De La Cruz wreaked havoc across the board in his first MLB season with the Cincinnati Reds. It appears he will continue to do so in 2024.
In his first at-bat of the Reds’ Saturday afternoon spring training game against the Colorado Rockies, De La Cruz uncorked a mammoth, 470-foot home run to center field.
The ball might still be traveling.
De La Cruz, 22, was long regarded as the Reds’ top prospect and made his MLB debut in June 2023. Across 98 games, De La Cruz totaled 13 home runs, 44 RBIs and 35 stolen bases, while posting a .235/.300/.410 slash line. He entered MLB with a bang, hitting .361 in his first 15 games, including hitting for the cycle in just his 15th game with the Reds.
De La Cruz dabbled at both positions on the left side of the infield, making 66 starts at shortstop and 29 starts at third base.
The Reds are coming off an 82-80 campaign, a 20-game bump from 2022. De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McClain are part of a young Reds core that’s beginning to establish itself at the MLB level.
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Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz
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