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Proponents of Elly De La Cruz largely believe that the electric Cincinnati Reds infielder has not received fair accolades since literally crashing into MLB last summer. However, thanks to some digging by an MLB analyst, it has now been illustrated how much of a difference the Dominican makes for his club.
In his first month in MLB, in June 2023, De La Cruz hit for the cycle, broke the infield throwing record and stole second, third and home in an inning. Despite this, he was not named an All-Star last season, much to the chagrin of his ardent supporters.
In a recent episode of Blair and Barker, Sportsnet hosts Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker discussed Elly De La Cruz' 2024 stats. As the guest, Jayson Stark, observed:
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"He's got a higher slugging percentage than Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber"
Stark, who writes for The Athletic, went on to highlight how the Cincinnati Reds infielder's 59 steals lead MLB by a margin of 27. Moreover, the 22 year-old has hit a commendable .266/.3350/.499 with 21 home runs and 51 RBIs this season.
Though many associate De La Cruz with his speed, Stark highlighted that his bat is outperforming Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, both former NL home run champions who are credited with being the top sluggers in baseball. De La Cruz is currently slugging .499, compared to Alonso's .464 value and .494 from Schwarber.
"Tough highlight for the “Elly De La Cruz isn’t actually good” haters" - Ben Verlander
A first-time All-Star in 2024, Elly fans are finally witnessing the skeptics come around. Still only 22 years of age, De La Cruz is set to make a mere $743,000 this season.
The Reds will need to move on Elly De La Cruz soon
As Stark's analysis showed, it looks like De La Cruz is not the fluke that many thought he was last year. Although he will not become a free agent until 2030, calls for an extension are already rolling in. As Reds writer Drew Koch wrote on Tuesday after De La Cruz slammed his 21st homer of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals:
"De La Cruz's extension should be priority No. 1 for the Reds' front office this offseason, but offering a contract extension to Stephenson should be right up there as well."
Set to be a big offseason for the Reds, GM Brad Meador will need to be careful not to forget about the home-grown talent on the roster.
