Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz has established himself as one of the fastest players in present-day MLB. The lanky 6-foot-5 speedster has been a menace on the base paths since his debut in 2023 and as evidenced by his league-leading 67 stolen bases last year.De La Cruz's proficiency in baserunning has made it hard for defensive players, particularly, backstops, to prohibit him from stealing bases. One such catcher is Dodgers All-Star Will Smith. On the most recent episode of the On Base With Mookie Betts podcast, Smith discussed his tactic on how to deal with the speedster."It's hard to do. If he gets a good jump, there's no chance," said Smith. (36:25-36:31)The Dodgers catcher bared that one must have the best approach and anticipation in catching De La Cruz stealing the bases because if the Reds shortstop gets the runway, he will take it."If it's a bad jump or he goes on a slide step, maybe you have a chance, but it's got to be perfect." (36:40-36:50)At the time of writing, Elly De La Cruz is tied for the eighth-most stolen bases in the league with 31. Although his tally is far from the one he registered last campaign, his baserunning ability will certainly be vital down the stretch for the Reds as they contend for a postseason spot this year.Elly De La Cruz leaves broadcast team astonished against AngelsOn the August 19th game of the Reds against the Angels in Anaheim, Elly De La Cruz left the latter's broadcast booth in pure astonishment after sliding to home plate via Miguel Andujar's weakly hit single.“They’re going to wave him around on a base hit to left…Oh my goodness, now I’ve seen everything. Dude scored from first on a base hit to left field…We are talking about Ricky Henderson stuff here, folks,” said the Angels' broadcast crew.In the fourth inning, Elly De La Cruz casually ran from first base all the way to home plate in the specific sequence that left even some at Angel Stadium stunned. The Reds shortstop finished the game by going one-for-three with two runs scored, a walk, and a strikeout in the 6-4 victory on the road. Currently, the squad holds a 68-63 record that is good for the third spot in the hotly-contested NL Central. With that being said, however, Terry Francona-led Reds still have a realistic chance to sneak in to the postseason as they are just 1.5 games below the wild card spots with their nearest competitor being the Mets at 69-61.