Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz is just not solely matching the hype that preceded his arrival to the foremost leagues, however he’s starting to exceed it.
His begin to the 2024 season has been so dominant that he’s at present on observe for numbers which have by no means been achieved within the league’s historical past, particularly when it comes to dwelling runs and stolen bases.
Getting into play on Friday, De La Cruz has hit eight dwelling runs and stolen a league-leading 18 bases for the Reds.
Whereas it’s early, projecting these numbers out over a 162-game season would put him on tempo for greater than 40 dwelling runs and 90 stolen bases, which no participant has ever completed.
This comes only one yr after Atlanta Braves celebrity Ronald Acuna Jr. grew to become the primary participant to ever high the 40 dwelling run and 70 stolen base mark in a single season, incomes him the 2023 NL MVP Award.
Gamers reaching these historic numbers are a mirrored image of two issues within the league proper now.
The primary — and apparent — is the extremely excessive degree of younger expertise that has entered the league lately. Gamers like Acuna Jr. and De La Cruz are sensational gamers with skillsets that put them among the many league’s elite and most impactful gamers.
The stolen bases replicate the rule adjustments involving the pitch clock, the variety of pitcher disengagements allowed throughout at-bats and the bigger bases. These rule adjustments have opened a window for extra stolen bases, and gamers with velocity and base-running instincts are feasting on it.
Together with the ability and stolen base numbers, De La Cruz can also be hitting .289 with a .968 OPS and enjoying at an MVP degree. He’s nonetheless solely 22 years previous and has his finest days in entrance of him.
