One of the most electrifying players in Major League Baseball added his name to the history books Wednesday night.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is one of the hardest hitters and fastest runners in the game. That combination is lethal, and he’s used it to his advantage all season.
De La Cruz swiped his 60th base of the season Wednesday, by far the most in baseball. Shohei Ohtani is second with 38.
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Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds slides to steal third base in a game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park Aug. 6, 2024, in Miami, Fla. (Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images)
Entering Wednesday, he already had 21 homers, so the stolen base made him the fifth player in MLB history to join the 20/60 club. Only Joe Morgan, Rickey Henderson, Eric Davis and Ronald Acuña Jr. had done it previously.
De La Cruz burst onto the scene last season with a fast start. In his first 16 big league games, he hit .359 with a 1.063 OPS and eight stolen bases. But he hit just .210 with a .640 OPS in his final 82 games.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates with Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer (7) after hitting a 3-run home run at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati June 6, 2024. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA Today Network)
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Naturally, eyeballs were on him to start the season to see which version of De La Cruz is the real one. While the overall numbers show he’s somewhere in between, it’s clear what his potential is.
Entering Wednesday, De La Cruz was hitting .261 with an .828 OPS. His bugaboo is he strikes out a lot, leading the majors with 167. But when he can make up for it on the base paths by turning singles into doubles, you can live with it.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) celebrates with Reds third baseman Jeimer Candelario (3) after hitting a 3-run home run to take a one-run lead in the third inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati June 6, 2024. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA Today Network )
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The Reds are 6½ games back of the final postseason spot, but as long as they have their freak athlete of a shortstop, they’ll have a bright future.
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